Save the vines and enjoy a gorgeous, rich red! Poggioreale used to be an important wine village in Sicily. It was where Dino Taschetta grew up, like generations of his family before him. After an earthquake reduced Poggioreale to ruins in 1968, a new town was built further down the hill and the vineyards above the village, the highest and oldest in Sicily, were then neglected for decades. Now, with many of the island’s oldest Nero d’Avola vines grubbed up, there’s even more reason to treasure what’s left. Dino recently returned to the family estate and began to restore the vineyard. His first vintage was 2017 and he was in urgent need of a customer. Our Buyer tasted the wine and reserved it all. A year later, we’ve returned for more.

This terrific Pinot Grigio comes from an award winning cellar established in 1949 in the village of Etyek, 50 kilometres from Budapest, and it shows just what fantastic quality and value Hungary offers. Famous for its regal sweet wine, named Tokaji, Hungary has in fact many strings to its bow, thanks in part to a 600 year history of growing Italian grape varieties. Winemaker Gábor Laczkó has proven himself an expert, crafting a range of thrilling wines under the Campanula label, named after the flower that grows wild in the vineyards. This refreshingly crisp, minerally Pinot Grigio has classic ripe pear, apricot and green apple character. Enjoy as a refreshing glass any time or with lighter dishes like tiger prawns or grilled salmon steak.

Big Red El Bombero has been a top choice with customers for many years. And in seriously good vintages, like 2012, winemaker Javier Domeque crafts a sophisticated Gran Reserva version using the pick of the crop from his oldest vines. To qualify for Gran Reserva status, the wine was aged in oak for three years with further time in bottle prior to release. It's made entirely from Garnacha, an important component of many full bodied Spanish reds, and also of Châteauneuf du Pape from neighbouring France. At 14% vol, it's a touch less powerful than El Bombero itself but full of rich berry flavour and with delicious spicy complexity from American oak. The 2011 is perfect right now. Just decant for an hour and serve with roast shoulder of lamb.

Saracosa is inspired by the ‘Super Tuscans’ – a style first developed in the 1970s. These wines kickstarted the region’s renaissance and became some of the most exclusive and expensive in the world. Saracosa is from the Barbanera family estate, where half the vineyards are in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, and the remainder just beyond. In the 5-Star 2017 vintage Saracosa’s old vines delivered exceptional concentration. Dense, dark cherry and chocolatey tones make this a serious choice for pasta with pork ragù or bistecca alla fiorentina (steak with cannellini beans in tomato sauce).

Gavi is one of Italy’s most elegant white wines – crisp, citrusy and adored the world over for its stony freshness. Promoted to DOCG status in 1998, it’s now widely recognised as Piedmont’s white ‘jewel in the crown’. The appellation lies in the rolling Monferrato hills and is home to the Cortese grape, which gives Gavi its hallmark finesse. Italian wine expert Burton Anderson once described Gavi as “an exemplary fish wine” – and we couldn’t agree more. Our Buyer for Italy, Leo, was impressed by this 2024 from the Vigne del Pareto estate. Zippy and refreshing, with a whisper of almond on the finish, it’s a brilliant aperitif and a natural with everything from seafood linguine to grilled prawns.

A red to charm and delight lovers of characterful Italian reds crafted by Cantine Federici, one of the most respected wineries in Italy’s Roma region. This small estate in the hills outside Roma garners international acclaim for its range of wines. Today, third-generation winemaker Damiano Federici is at the helm. He has a passion for Cesanese, a grape grown in the region since at least 800BC! For this wine, he combines the grape with Montepulciano grown in the hills that once supplied stone for the Colosseum. He air-dries a portion of grapes before fermentation to concentrate flavours, then ages the wine for three years to enhance complexity and depth. The wine brims with Morello cherry, ripe blackberry fruit, has a long, spicy finish, and is perfect with Italian pasta dishes, beef or lamb.

Sip a raspberry-fresh rosé from the talented team behind our bestselling Gooseberry Bush white. Robertson is a top region for whites and rosés in South Africa, and Bon Courage is one of its most awarded estates. They’ve been crafting our bestselling Gooseberry Bush, for years – and this is the lip-smacking pink edition. Made from South Africa’s signature red grape, Pinotage, it’s a juicy, raspberry-fresh rosé (hence the name). Pinotage is unique to South Africa and brims with ripe, red-fruit flavour. Trophy-winning winemaker Jacques Brewer cool-fermented the grapes for maximum freshness, allowing just enough skin contact for a delicate hue and oodles of raspberry fruit. It’s a deliciously characterful drop – perfect solo, or alongside salads and peri-peri chicken.