ITALY: North-East – Trentino, Alto Adige & Friuli Venezia Giulia
2015: Gold 3 Silver 5 Bronze 3 Commended 3
2014: Gold 1 Silver 6 Bronze 6 Commended 2
A big increase in entries from the north-eastern valleys of Italy meant that this year we could separate off the Trentino, Alto Adige and Friuli wines from their more workaday Verona cousins. It made for a fascinating mix of wines, from winsome Sauvignon Blancs, to delicate Pinot Grigios and Blancos, and more full-flavoured yet elegant Chardonnays. Big tick from the tasting teams.
From the Tasting Teams
‘A very impressive flight. Lovely wines, starting with fresh, aromatic and uplifted wines, moving on to complex, sometimes oaked, creamier styles, but some really good wines throughout. The quality here means that you can push up in terms of price.’ Richard Brooks, Caroline Catering
‘These are gourmet, Michelin star-level wines; real food wines to go with complex dishes. There’s a lot of minerality – layered wines, wines that sommeliers love to play with and that help the sommelier in their role.’ Andrea Fasan, La Petite Maison
‘Instead of all its Pinot Grigio, New Zealand should be planting these varieties and looking at these wines to see where aromatics can go!’ Richard Bampfield MW, team leader
‘There were some very high-quality wines, comparable with the best Burgundy in terms of what these wines deliver. Definitely hand-sell wines, but these will impress customers that try them. Good with Asian food, but the richer styles would be good with creamier fish dishes, lobster, buttery seafood dishes.’ Jonathan Kleeman, The Ritz Hotel