Home Winners > Winners 2019 > ITALY: South - White

Winner Details

Italy: South - White

2019 GOLD: 3      SILVER: 6      BRONZE: 1      COMMENDED: 6
2018 GOLD: 1      SILVER: 4      BRONZE: 3      COMMENDED: 4

Our tasters saw two definite styles here: fresh, fruity wines at the lower end (tick for gastropubs and house-wine-plus-one level in restaurants) and serious, ambitious, oaked offerings at the top that quite a few of our judges likened stylistically to warm-vintage Burgundy. The middle range they were generally a little less positive about.

Despite these misgivings, we found a good ladder of top medals steadily from £8 up to £20, which suggests that there’s plenty here worth having a look at, particularly if you want some of that quintessential Italian structure, but with more fruit than you’re typically getting from further north.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘It’s something I drink a lot of through warmer months, it’s a go-to region. It produces those lovely aromatic varieties – not really cheap, but they really deliver.’ Martin Lam, team leader

‘Floral, citrusy notes but with no differentiation. In the last few years Puglia has really come out with some expressions of coastal wines, so I was expecting more.’ Michael Fiducia, The Royal Automobile Club

‘The high-end wines had the most promise. I would put them by the glass and maybe the really high-end ones in a wine flight.’ Daniel Jonberger, Rockliffe Hall

‘Good consistency of quality. You could tell they come from a very hot place – always on the very ripe yellow fruit and exotic fruits. But most packed with good fresh acidity. I was positively surprised. There’s decent wine for good value here.’ Tomasz Kuszneruk, Pavilion Wine

‘Great cheaper-end stuff, and the more expensive stuff was interesting as well. It’s wine that tastes of summer.’ James Fryer, Woodhead 17

‘The cheap wines were aromatic and easy drinking with nice acidity. The middle range weren’t worth the extra money. The top end was in a different style, like very oaky Chardonnay, similar to Burgundy.’ Clément Loubeyre, The Cross Kenilworth

Award winners

Found 16 wines

Italy: South – White

Varvaglione, 12 e Mezzo, Malvasia del Salento 2017, Puglia, Italy

Gold medal winner

‘A very inviting, super-floral nose, like Muscat,’ began impressed team leader Martin Lam as this took a well-deserved Gold, further describing ‘just a hint of sugar on the palate, with big jasmine and honeysuckle notes’. ‘Aromatic, dry and light on the palate, with a lovely balance between the floral and the citrus notes,’ said fellow team leader Charlie Young. All of this led Sue Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn to identify it as an excellent ‘foie gras match’.

£8.62 Enotria&Coe

Masseria Li Veli, Askos, Verdeca, Salento 2017, Puglia, Italy

Gold medal winner

‘Lovely!’ was how 67 Pall Mall’s Beatrice Bessi summed up this worthy Gold medal recipient, going on to describe it as ‘fresh, intense and rich, and full of ripe orange, tangerine, guava and saffron notes, with some minerality to complete the picture’. A similarly impressed James Fryer of Woodhead 17 spoke of ‘smoke, apricots and almonds, with touches of gunmetal’, followed by ‘a textural palate, with golden fruits, and lychee tropical fruit too’.

£14.24 Bibendum

Cenatiempo, Forastera, Ischia Bianco 2017, Campania, Italy

Gold medal winner

As this was awarded a well-deserved Gold, team leader Charlie Young spoke highly of its ‘spicy citrus aromas, and a full palate with upfront, pithy fruit, ripe but abundant grapefruit-like acidity, and some real complexity on the finish’. Fellow team leader Martin Lam went on to describe it as ‘quite plump and ripe, and spicy, too, with some honeyed melon fruit’, while Pavilion Wine’s Tomasz Kuszneruk put it succinctly: ‘Serious but fresh; rich but easy-drinking.’

£18.00 Enotria&Coe

Librandi, Cirò, Bianco Greco 2017, Calabria, Italy

Silver medal winner

‘Asparagus, green leaf and citrus aromas’ on the nose were followed by ‘sweet peach and lemon rind on the palate, which finishes saline and leafy’, thought James Fryer of Woodhead 17, while Scarlet Hotel’s Jim Bass found the palate ‘buttery and bold, with some elderflower notes too’.

£8.12 Enotria&Coe

Villa Raiano, Greco di Tufo 2017, Campania, Italy

Silver medal winner

‘A pretty nose of jasmine, leading to a fresh, citrus palate,’ began The Royal Automobile Club’s Michael Fiducia, while team leader Martin Lam noted ‘apple, pear and stone fruit on the nose, with a juicy, sappy, dry and aromatic palate’.

£11.00 Boutinot

Masseria Pioppeto, Greco di Tufo 2017, Campania, Italy

Silver medal winner

James Fryer of Woodhead 17 described a combination of ‘golden nashi pears and pear skin, as well as white peach aromas, leading to mango and underripe pineapple on the palate, together with almond and cashew notes’.

£12.70 Berkmann Wine Cellars

I Pàstini, Rampone, Minutolo, Valle d'Itria 2017, Puglia, Italy

Silver medal winner

‘Dry and refreshing, with some green pea notes along with some citrus, too,’ said Pavilion Wine’s Tomasz Kuszneruk, while team leader Martin Lam described ‘oily, intriguing aromatics on the nose, leading to a juicy, fresh palate’.

£11.60 Winetraders

A Mano, Bianco 2018, Puglia, Italy

Silver medal winner

This Puglian white was ‘fragrant, with some floral, blossom notes, and green apple too, leading to a palate that’s crisp, refreshing and in good balance’, thought Scarlet Hotel’s Jim Bass, who also commented on its good value for money.

£8.70 Liberty Wines

Cenatiempo, Kalimera Biancolella, Ischia 2016, Campania, Italy

Silver medal winner

‘A very complex nose, with floral notes and stone fruits, with a bit of age that helps to balance the wine very well,’ began team leader Carlos Ferreira, going on to find ‘lemon and red apple on the palate, leading to a long finish with some fresh vanilla’.

£19.77 Enotria&Coe

Villa Raiano, Contrada Marotta, Greco di Tufo 2015, Campania, Italy

Bronze medal winner

‘Complex stone fruit on the nose, with some white spiciness and asparagus notes too, leading to a palate that’s very elegant, complex and full of life, with a long finish,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira.

£15.50 Boutinot

Villa Raiano, Ventidue, Fiano di Avellino 2016, Campania, Italy

Commended medal winner

£15.50 Boutinot

Feudi Salentini, 125 Malvasia del Salento 2017, Puglia, Italy

Commended medal winner

£8.70 Matthew Clark

Feudi di San Gregorio, Cutizzi, Greco di Tufo 2017, Campania, Italy

Commended medal winner

Feudi di San Gregorio, Serrocielo, Falanghina del Sannio 2017, Campania, Italy

Commended medal winner

Antonio Caggiano, Béchar, Fiano di Avellino 2017, Campania, Italy

Commended medal winner

£13.99 Enotria&Coe

Ettore Sammarco, Terre Saracene, Costa d'Amalfi Bianco 2017, Campania, Italy

Commended medal winner

£13.75 Eurowines