VIVA ITALIA Four Italian Wines · From Veneto to Tuscany

01 Cantina del Garda Soave Classico

DOC Soave Classico · Veneto, Italy · 100% Garganega · 91pts Falstaff

◆ Grown on volcanic hillside soils in the Classico zone — the heartland of Soave — and aged six months in steel to preserve every bit of freshness the terroir gives. Pale yellow with green-gold reflections in the glass.

◆ The nose is delicate and characterful: chamomile, elderflower and a hint of cherry blossom. On the palate it’s harmonious and fruity with white peach front and centre, then a distinct mineral backbone and a flint-edged finish that lingers.

◆ 91 points from Falstaff and four stars to its name — this is Italian white wine done properly. Works from aperitivo through to fish, white meat, or a bowl of good ramen.

02 Alessandro Rivetto Langhe Nascetta Albori

DOC Langhe · Piedmont, Italy · 100% Nascetta · Hand Harvested

◆ Nascetta is one of Piedmont’s rarest indigenous white grapes — nearly extinct until a handful of producers in the Langhe brought it back. Rivetto is one of the best. Brilliant straw-yellow, hand-harvested, fermented slow and cold at 15–18°C.

◆ Semi-aromatic in the best possible way: delicate flowers, salvia and thyme on the nose with a savouriness that builds as it opens up in the glass. Great minerality running through the whole palate.

◆ This is the wine in the pack that people won’t recognise — and that’s exactly the point. Pour it, watch them puzzle over it, then tell them what it is. Perfect with antipasti, raw fish, or on its own.

03 Menicucci Chianti DOCG

DOCG Chianti · Tuscany, Italy · Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

◆ From the rich soils of Cerreto and Montalbano in Tuscany — Sangiovese doing the heavy lifting at 90%, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot rounding out the edges. Hand-selected, gently pressed, fermented at controlled temperatures for 10 days.

◆ Intense ruby red with violet reflections. The nose is warm and generous — berry jam with a savoury undercurrent. On the palate it’s wide, balanced and full of personality with a structure that tells you this is proper Chianti, not a supermarket blend.

◆ The kind of bottle you open with a board of cured meats and end up finishing before the main course arrives. Equally good alongside roasted meats, hearty pasta or aged cheese.

04 Benedetti Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Classico

DOC Valpolicella · Veneto, Italy · Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella & Molinara · 14.5%

◆ Ripasso is one of Italy’s great winemaking tricks: take a good Valpolicella and referment it on the leftover skins of Amarone. You get deeper colour, richer aromatics and more alcohol without the price tag of the Amarone itself.

Benedetti do this from one of the five historic communities of Valpolicella Classica.

◆ Ruby red with garnet reflections. Full and complex on the nose — cherry, wild berries, spice and a whisper of cream. On the palate it’s persistent, soft and enveloping with elegant tannins and a long cherry finish.

◆ 16–18 months in French oak, 14.5% ABV, and the kind of weight and complexity that makes it the natural closer of this pack. Big glasses, 18°C, and something substantial on the plate.