'Best enjoyed with a hunk of parmesan and a book at hand': David Williams's favourite Italian reds. Pasqua Passimento, IGT Veneto, Italy 2013 (£11.99, or £7.99 if you buy two bottles, majestic.co.uk) Generally speaking, the taste of raisins is not a good thing in red wines. It tends to come with spirity alcoholic heat and a lack of zip. I do, however, have a soft spot for wines made from raisins, especially those from the traditional home of the technique around Verona in Valpolicella. At their best these wines are sumptuously fleshy, big in alcohol, but balanced with vibrant acidity; deep in colour but deeply distinctive in dark cherry and chocolate flavour. At its offer price of £7.99 for the next couple of weeks, Pasqua’s version is a robust, sweetly spicy, good-value introduction. Cantina di Soave Cadis Amarone della Valpolicella, Italy 2011 (£14.99, Morrisons) The Valpolicella region has a variety of recipes for its red wines. Best of all are the wines known as amarone, made entirely from grapes allowed to raisin in special drying lodges after harvest: Morrisons’s velvet-gloved own label is the pick of the supermarket bunch.

Le Salette La Marega Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy 2011 (£45.75, Lea & Sandeman, leaandsandeman.co.uk) Amarone producers have tried to rein in the alcohol in recent years, but the unusual production process means their wines will always be more alcoholic than others (sometimes as high as 16.5%). name of wine company in indiaThis is the sort of wine that works better at the end of an evening than the beginning, best enjoyed with a hunk of parmesan and a book at hand. name of wine company in indiaLe Salette’s La Marega (15%), with its suavely presented layers of dark cherry, chocolate and savoury meatiness, is what the Italians call a vino di meditazione – a real treat for slow-sipping reflection.best italian red wine 2016

I tasted more than 3,000 Italian wines this year. No easy task for sure, but it helps that the country continues to produce some of the most evocative wines in the world. This year’s list is a reflection of superb Italian wines that not only offer unique and inspiring drinking experiences but also many offer great value relative to their prices. dry red wine no 1This is more apparent near the end of the list, where you’ll find exciting wines from places such as Campania and Friuli that are bargains. red wine glass cell phone caseThere’s a number of Amarones on the list as well. best wine tours santiago chileAll of these wines — whatever they cost — represent a unique character that can’t be duplicated anywhere else in the world.top wine brands uk

For our Italian Wine of the Year, I couldn’t help but pick the Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva 2008. It’s a wine that pushes the limits of a perfect score, combining incredible pedigree with a kind of character that moves you each time you take a sip. top 10 wine sellerThe wine is made from ancient vines that are almost a century old and is a selection of the best grapes from their best single vineyards in Bussia (70% Romirasco, 15% Cicala and 15% Colonnello). good quality wine brands in indiaIt’s fermented and aged in a single large cask and then carefully bottled to make about 3,000 bottles. It’s this dedication to historical vineyards and classical winemaking that makes this unique Barolo so terrific. I only wish more bottles were produced, so that all of you could try it. But for Italy, this wine will be a benchmark for years to come.

The No. 2 wine of my list is a testament to the modern renaissance in winemaking in Italy, particularly Tuscany. The Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010 is a truly great wine from a truly great vintage in Montalcino, made in an ultra-fine and precise style. No. 3, the Gaja Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 2013, is an emotional wine for me, as it represents a perfect nebbiolo and also the return of the Gaja family to using the Barbaresco appellation. No. 4 and No. 5 are two perfect Brunellos from unique single vineyards on the slopes of Montalcino: respectively, San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucére Riserva 2010 and Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d’Oro Riserva 2010. I picked another wine from Tuscany for the No. 6 spot: Orma Toscana 2013. The Bordeaux blend is an incredible wine with all the intensity and power of a top red from Bolgheri, home to the likes of Sassicaia and Masseto. How much does it cost? About $60 a bottle!

At No. 7, Duemani Cabernet Franc Costa della Toscana 2013, a pure cabernet franc (biodynamically grown grapes) from the Tuscan coast attests to deft viticulture and winemaking. Rounding out the top 10 were a series of benchmark Brunellos from Valdicava, Eredi Fuligni and Casanova di Neri. This wasn’t an easy list to make. I tried to pick wines with a global market, even if only a few bottles are available in various markets like the No. 1 Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva 2008. span the globe—from the United States to Europe to Hong Kong. I want people to try these wines, for retail stores to stock them, and for restaurants to serve them. I encountered so many great wines full of heart and soul. That’s the thing about Italian wines. It’s hard not to feel and sense the great history and culture that’s distilled into these bottles. Whether red or white, they are as utterly satisfying to drink and pair with a bowl of freshly cooked pasta as they are with fried rice and kimchi.

Italian wines are pure wines, and in their deep drinkability, they are all the more special. Many of these wines will be featured at next month’s Great Wines of Italy in Hong Kong (Dec. 7) and Bangkok (Dec. 9). Get tickets while you still can!Show All Tasting Notes 1Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva 2Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 3Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo 4San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucere Riserva 5Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro Riserva 7Duemani Cabernet Franc Costa della Toscana 8Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano Riserva 9Eredi Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto Bellaria Brunello di Montalcino Assunto Riserva Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino Zodiac Rooster Riserva Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato Fattoria Le Pupille Maremma Toscana Saffredi

Roberto Voerzio Barolo Sarmassa Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Allle Mura Riserva Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino Ripe al Convento di Castelgiocondo Riserva Marchesi Antinori Brunello di Montalcino Vignaferrovia Riserva Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barbaresco Rabajà Bibi Graetz Toscana Colore Tenuta di Sesta Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Quintodecimo Aglianico Irpinia Terra D'Eclano Foradori Teroldego Vigneti Delle Dolomiti Sgarzon Schiopetto Friulano Collio M Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe Marchesi Antinori Toscana Tignanello Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Olmi Riserva Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Mauro Molino Barolo Vigna Conca San Polino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Roberto Voerzio Barbera d'Alba Pozzoannunziata Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Luce della Vite Toscana Luce Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barolo Falletto Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin Le Macchiole Bolgheri Paleo Rosso Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi Le Macchiole Bolgheri Scrio Marchesi Antinori Bolgheri Superiore Guado Al Tasso Fontodi Colli della Toscana Centrale Flaccianello della Pieve Pira (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Cannubi Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Santo Spirito Marchesi Antinori Toscana Solaia La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campe' Vürsù Bibi Graetz Toscana Testamatta Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco Podere Poggio Scalette Alta Valle della Greve Il Carbonaione Allegrini Corvina Veronese La Poja Fontodi Chianti Classico Vigna del Sorbo Gran Selezione Jermann Bianco Venezia-Giulia Vintage Tunina Vie di Romans Venezia-Giulia Dut'Un Marchesi Antinori Umbria Castello della Sala Cervaro Della Sala

Contratto Piemonte For England Pas Dosé Rosé Argentiera Bolgheri Superiore 10th Anniversary Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sergio Zenato Riserva Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco Alto Adige Vorberg Riserva Sette Ponti Valdarno di Sopra Vigna dell'Impero 1935 Ampeleia Costa della Toscana Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo San Giovenale Lazio Habemus Argiolas Isola dei Nuraghi Turriga Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Vintage Collection Dosage Zéro Antonio Sasa Etna Rosso Prà Valpolicella Superiore Morandina Ripasso Tiefenbrunner Pinot Nero Alto Adige Linticlarus Riserva Viticcio Chianti Classico Prunaio Gran Selezione Volpaia Chianti Classico Casanova Il Puro Gran Selezione Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione Decugnano dei Barbi Umbria AD 2012 Coppo Barbera d'Asti Pomorosso Cecchi Chianti Classico Riserva di Famiglia Riserva