Angelo Gaja sends the following. Although 2009 was a black year for Italian exports overall, down 20% according to the official government statistics, for Italian wine it was an...

UK importer Liberty Wines, founded by Italian specialist David Gleave MW in 1997 and winner of the International Wine Challenge's Italian Specialist Merchant award in nine out of the last 11...

Italy’s national values may be staunchly conservative and traditional but the reaction to the reactionary is never far away, and never fails to find enough support to become a voice, even if it...

16 Dec – According to one report, a total of five hectares in Castellina in Chianti has been sequestered by the authorities. This is prime Chianti Classico land, but the five hectares are not...

The Assoenologi, Italy’s association of oenologists, has officially declared the 2009 vintage ‘very good’, a positive assessment in an otherwise less than glorious picture overall. Volume is...

This week watch out for tasting notes on some Marche wines with real longevity and 21 top Tuscans that seem to bloom quite young - JR Days before the publication of Italy's most...

Luca Zaia, Italy's charismatic and controversial agricultural minister, has recently attracted a storm of protest after having expressed his dismay that a total ban on drinking and driving would...

With the new CMO (Common Market Organisation) for European wines now in place, Italy’s wine producers and growers' associations have officially lost much of their power. Instead, a new...

On this dark grey morning in London, I thought I'd import some strong rays of Italian sunshine via the following tasting notes taken at a showing of wines from 10 great estates by UK Italian...

The notes below are a snapshot comparison of three UK importers as viewed through their Italian wines. The selection was deliberately random, to get a feel for the range from each supplier, so...

Angelo Gaja of Italy predicts catastrophe and lobbies for a completely different approach to promoting Italian wine. It is generally believed that the current financial crisis will have...

Italy does quite well for wine guides but some of them are pretty unwieldy. Gambero Rosso’s Italian wines , for example, well known for its tre bicchiere (three glasses) awards,...

bianco , white. cantina means literally ‘cellar’ or ‘winery’. A Cantina Sociale is a co-operative winery. Classico , usually the original heartland of a wine...

Ah, Italy - what a beautiful, hedonistic, disorganised, frustrating country! Italy can provide wine lovers with so many distinctive, unique flavours and styles, bottles full of Italian verve and...

Think of Italian wine and what do you see? Something deep purple or dusky crimson? While it’s true that Italy makes far more red than white, the dramatically improved whites of the...