This wine isn’t currently available in the UK – a great shame. But it’s so good that I had to include it. Made by Salvo Foti’s cooperative “I Vigneri”, using very low-intervention (wild yeasts, no sulphur, no filtering, organically grown fruit), this is a superbly focussed, elegant expression of Nerello Mascalese. Dominated by fresh red cranberry fruit, smoky minerality and piercing acidity, the wine is underpinned by extremely refined tannins and feels effortlessly balanced – no mean feat given the high alcohol.
2008 Tenuta di Fessina Musmeci Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily
( £36, 13.5%, FortyFive10º )Tenuta di Fessina’s winemaker Federico Curtaz is from Piedmont, and there’s definitely a nod to Nebbiolo in this wine. 15 months in French barriques has created a serious, age-worthy Etna Rosso, with smoky dark fruit, but plenty of freshness and the typical saline/mineral finish that defines good Etna Rosso. Above all, this is elegant and balanced, in the manner of a top-quality Barolo or a Nuits-San-Georges.
2008 Sciarakè Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13.5%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )I loved the concentrated and slightly dusty fruit in this Etna Rosso. This is a very approachable style, with fine tannins and an iodine tang at the end. Further proof that Nerello Mascalese can produce wines of considerable complexity without the need for any oak aging.
2010 Passopischiaro Porcaria Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 14%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )Passopischiaro make no less than four single vineyard Nerello Mascaleses, and the range of flavour and character just goes to show how sensitive this variety is to the varying terroir in different parts of the Etna region. Porcaria is a vineyard at 650m, with a thin layer of lava on the topsoil. This is a monolithic, smoky and tannic wine, which nonetheless remains fresh and herbaceous – there’s a pronounced note of sage.
2011 Crozes-Hermitage, Alain Graillot, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £19.25, 12.5%, Yapp Brothers )Alain Graillot and his son, Maxime, make some of the best value wines in the northern Rhône Valley, often on a par with more expensive fare from nearby Hermitage. This blend of mostly Marsanne with 20% Roussanne is a stunner: aromatic, mealy and very complex, with notes of brown toast, fresh flowers, oatmeal, peach and citrus fruit. The oak is very subtle, while the finish is long and staisfying. It will age nicely too under screwcap.
2011 Domaine Les Yeuses Vermentino, IGP Pays d'Oc, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £6.50, 13%, Lea & Sandeman )Vermentino, or Rolle, is one of those grapes that should be more widely planted, partly because it retains acidity and freshness in warm climates, but also because it has plenty of flavour. This is typical of the variety, and at a very appealing price: orange peel and citrus zest with an undertone of Mediterranean herbs and a tangy aftertaste. Perfect for the last few days of summer.
2011 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
( £9.99, 13%, Majestic )There’s so much mediocre Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc around (bland, sweet, overcropped and sometimes all three) that it’s a pleasure to recommend one that has real personality. This comes from the cooler Awatere Valley and is beautifuly taut and refined: a focused, almost minerally white with one foot in the Loire Valley, stylistically speaking. Fresh, crisp and tangy with notes of elderflower, wet stones and kiwi fruit, it lingers tantalisingly on the palate.
2010 Viñalba Reserva Cabernet/Malbec/Petit Verdot, Mendoza
( £8.99, 14.5%, Majestic )Viñalba makes some of the most consistently tasty red wines in Argentina, and at very approachable prices. This full-bodied Bordeaux style blend is plush and concentrated with sweet, well integrated oak, flavours of chocolate and plums, ripe tannins and good underlying freshness. If you’re bored of Malbec, try this instead.
2011 Benjamin Darnault, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £10.99, 14.5%, Naked Wines )A heady, wild cocktail of Syrah and Grenache from the hills of the Roussillon region of southern France. Youthful, fiery, spicy, with notes of lavender, thyme, sweet red fruit and liquorice. Needs food, preferably rich food, to show at its best, but this is an unoaked star, with bags of flavour and focus.
2009 Antonin Rodet, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid garnet/pink. A little closed on the nose and showing some reduction, possibly pre-bottling. Red fruits, cherry and a hint of int, with fresh acidity and some minerality. Not massively complex, but more than acceptable.
2009 Sylvain Loichet, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid ruby/garnet. Aromatic, modern style with quite a bit of oak. Firm and slightly chunky on the palate, but there’s more than enough fruit underneath for balance. A wine that is still in the starting blocks. Give it some time and it will hit its stride.
2009 Robert Arnoux, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Another heavy bottle award contender from Burgundy. The nose is a little over-ripe and alcoholic (a pitfall in 2009), with lots of oak and a tannic finish, possibly from slight raisining. I’m not convinced this will age.