So, what is Funsu? There’s a funny family story. Grandfather Alfonso of the Ferrio family was affectionately known as Funsu - and this wine is dedicated to his legacy. Made entirely from nebbiolo, and blended from two vineyards, the intention is to balance an elegant soft nebbiolo, with a vineyard offering more tannin structure. But, the trick is, this wine is made entirely in tank - so you can drink it young and pretty. The characters here are all about pleasure you want this weekend, not in the next century. Roses, violets and sour cherry pucker with subtle tea leaves and a slight earthiness. Bust out the truffles, the mushrooms, the hard cheese, the risotto... heck, even the rabbit ragu. The food will only get better with this delightful red.

This Nebbiolo from Traviarti's home block vineyard is intense and savoury with a round tannin profile that coats the mouth and a line of acidity that teases out the palate.

A wonderful Barolo from Maretti showcasing great value for the region. The colour is dark garnet with ruby highlights. It has a clear-cut, intense nose with overtones of roses, spices, earthy undertones with nuanced vanilla notes. The taste is dry, but soft, full-bodied, velvety and well balanced, and is very long-lasting. Classic Barolo like this works well with rich braised meat dishes or a mushroom risotto.

AZIENDA AGRICOLA SORDO GIOVANNI Rocche di Castiglione, Barolo DOCG

Little Giant Little batch is the crafting of hand-made, small parcel wines representing unique varieties, vineyards, or wine styles. Little Batch provide a snapshot of the exciting innovations and blends that typify the current Australian wine scene innovative blends that are unusual and delicious and constantly over-deliver on quality.

Exuberant fragrances of fruit and spices. Great body, full and velvety with a long final taste of goudron and spices. The tannic characteristics guarantee a very long life in bottle. Brilliant garnet red turning slightly amber with time. Nebbiolo Founded by Luigi Einaudi, during his time as Governor of Banca dItalia and President of Italy after the second world war, it is said he never missed a harvest! His son Roberto succeeded him, but it was Robertos daughter Paola, on her return from Milano to Dogliani at the end of the 1980s, who with tenacity, enthusiasm and significant investment, re-launched this historic brand and went about improving wine quality. Today it is her son, fourth generation Matteo Sardagna, who is at the helm. Long sojourns in the Langhe as a child with his grandfather and mother left Matteo with a deeply-rooted passion for the familys values and customs. Today the winery is equipped with unique cement egg-like fermenting tanks, and botti of varying sizes and age so that Matteo and his team can produce wines which reflect their terroir, and the traditional style of the region and the estate.

Unico Zelo is the project of winemaking couple Brendan and Laura Carter. In their words, their aim is to create “Italian-inspired, textural and site-expressive wines” and “Australian examples of Mediterranean varieties in an approachable and jovial fashion.” There is a bit of a shift this year for Pastafarian, with the inclusion of Sangiovese! The ultimate pasta variety, it must be said. Ask Brendan, Unico Zelo has long been critical of Sangiovese’s future in Australia, but after some recent encounters with other producers' expressions of the variety, they’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Lucky for the winery, it wasn’t far from home, as the fruit is from the lovely Polish Hill River Vineyard. Still, this wine is Nebbiolo through and through, and it’s the perfect marriage with Slovenian Oak for a perfumed, blue fruited and savoury structured Langhe-style Nebb. A touch of Merlot and Nero to add somebody (and a nice little spice too!). Top shelf here, finding an identity all of its own. Great wine.

Bright floral and citrus tones. Sweet red purplish berry fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol rose petal and lavender are some of the many notes that flesh out in this super-expressive Barbaresco. Aromatically lifted, dense on the palate and also very structured.

Roero has long been a source of Nebbiolo for Barolo producers, who prize the perfumed notes from the region’s sandy soils. Correggia’s Roero has always been a benchmark for this style, with silky tannins that make the wine approachable and enjoyable on release. The wine presents floral aromatics, ripe red fruit and brisk acidity without the iron-clad tannins of its more famous neighbors. • Finalist

Giovanni Rosso is a family-owned estate who have been growing grapes in the Comune of Serralunga d'Alba since the 1890's, including the Crus of Cerretta and Serra. During the 1980's, Giovanni Rosso restructured the vineyards with the aim of producing the best possible wines, and in 2001, Giovanni's son Davide took charge of winemaking, following his own mantra "wine should be a perfect copy of its terroir". The fermentation lasts some 25 days according to the vintage with daily pumping over of the wine mass with délestages at half of the period (fermentation in concrete tanks). The aging is conducted in 50hl large barrels of Fontainebleau Forest oak from 18 to 36 months according to the vintage and the vineyard of provenience.