With a home on the central east coast of Italy, the Abruzzo region is home to the Montepulciano grape (not to be confused with the region of Montepulciano in Tuscany!). It is here that the variety really thrives and Illuminati's Pieluni Riserva shows wonderful deep, brooding and intense aromas and flavours of ripe plums, tobacco and blackcurrant. Delectable chocolate tannins round out a truly decadent wine.

On the palate it is very vigorous, rich in extracts, with lively and pleasant tannins that are rounded through a skilful use of wood. A powerful, tantalizing wine with a great ageing potential.

A riserva wine which highlights the quality this region can achieve. The nose shows dark fruit with meaty notes, and the palate is textured with persistent, powdery tannins. A superb food wine.

100% Nebbiolo from the village of La Morra. Made using grapes from two south and south-east facing plots, one planted in 1948, the other in 1989. Soil composition is marna stone with clay and sand. Maceration takes place on skins for 4-5 days in rotary fermenters with temperature control. After fermentation the wine is aged in (225l) French oak barriques for 24 months. After more than 45 vintages, Elio Altare, grandson of founder Giuseppe, passed the torch to his daughter Silvia, who produces some of the very best modern Barolos Piedmont has to offer.

PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO Riserva Rabaja, Barbaresco