18 Italian reds under £20
Stick to the safe names, or take a chance on a region you’re not familiar with? We asked UK retailers to submit their best Italian reds priced at £12-£20, and Amy Wislocki and James Button put them to the test, here revealing their top 18 wines to try...
A hunt for the best Italian red wines between £12 and £20 available in UK high-street chains and supermarkets resulted in entrants spanning 10 different regions, showcasing the diversity available to consumers in 2020. It certainly made for a varied tasting, both in terms of the appellations represented – and in terms of quality.
Italy’s strength-in-depth and huge volume capability makes it a very important component of any retailer’s range and it was encouraging to see many of them making the most of this diversity and providing their customers with plenty of choice.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the final line-up of our favourite 18 wines was dominated by Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont, but it was also encouraging to see lesser known wines such as a Lagrein from Alto Adige and a Perricone from Sicily in the mix, as well as the little-known Tai Rosso (formerly Tocai Rosso).
It’s clear that wine buyers for supermarkets and high-street chains are looking beyond the go-to labels in order to bring consumers exciting, interesting and ultimately good-value wines. But it was disappointing that a number of key supermarkets and specialists did not submit any wines for this tasting, including Aldi, Asda, Laithwaite’s, Lidl and Tesco. It does raise the question of how confident they are in their Italian ranges at the stipulated £12-£20 price level – although it must be noted that our request for samples was sent out during the busy run-up to Christmas.
The results
Going by the outcome of this tasting, consumers should exercise caution when navigating Italy’s many and complicated denominations. Setting the price bracket at £12-£20 was designed to bring attention to the best of what could be deemed the ‘good everyday wines’ available in the UK, and yet quality proved to be variable.
While more than one-third of wines submitted failed to achieve higher than 87 points, more than half of the wines entered occupied the middle ground, between 88 and 89 points, which is completely reasonable considering the mid-range prices.
The top three wines in this tasting were each awarded 91 points. Monte Zovo’s Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2015 (Jeroboams) was a hit with its appealing texture and fleshy fruits. As seen in this issue’s Valpolicella Ripasso panel tasting, it’s an incredibly popular category with consumers and this example demonstrates why.
‘Wine buyers are looking beyond the go-to labels to bring consumers exciting wines’
Cantina di Negrar’s Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2016 (Waitrose) is a reliable wine from a highly regarded cooperative, and on this occasion it impressed us with its well-integrated oak, vibrant cherry and hedgerow fruits, and zingy acidity. It’s less textural and dense than the other Amarone in the line-up, but its delightful freshness works in its favour.
Sesti is a renowned producer of Brunello di Montalcino, and its Grangiovese 2016 is made from declassified Sangiovese grapes from the same vineyards. Its savoury, herbal character and graceful freshness combines with fine tannins and ripe cherry flavours for a delightfully harmonious take on the grape variety.
The wines propping up the bottom of the score-table (not included here) were typically afflicted by imbalance, lack of fruit or overly ripe and sticky fruit, and drying tannins or oak.
Play the field
Intriguingly, the spread of prices is fairly even throughout – that’s to say, there are expensive wines distributed evenly all the way from top to bottom of the scoresheet. For celebrated denominations such as Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Barolo and Chianti Classico, you may be paying something of a premium for the name, and this is a factor that consumers should be aware of – better value can often be found in lesser-known regions.
Italy is one country for which expert advice can be invaluable, whether that is in the form of knowledgeable shop staff, helpful product descriptions, or publications such as Decanter, and we would encourage consumers to use all of these tools to help them find the best Italian wines to match their tastes.
Top 18 Italian red wines £12-£20
Cantina di Negrar, Amarone della Valpolicella, Classico, Veneto, Italy, 2016
91
Quite reduced on the nose with some toasty notes. The palate displays zingy, pomegranate acidity with vibrant hedgerow fruits and fleshy cherry. Less textural density than the Cottini Amarone. Sweet liquorice finish.
2016
Cantina di NegrarAmarone della Valpolicella
Monte Zovo, Valpolicella, Ripasso Superiore, Veneto, Italy, 2015
91
Herby cherry scents lead to a textural, ripe, almost sweet palate full of vanilla-infused wood, earthy black cherry, fragrant wild strawberry, fleshy mulberry and some menthol. It’s a touch warming, but a great example of the ripasso style. Liquorice and chocolate notes accompanied by a fine line of acidity and salinity on the long finish.
2015
Monte ZovoValpolicella
Sesti, Grangiovese, Tuscany, Italy, 2016
91
Brick-coloured, with attractive savoury, herby, sun-dried tomato aromas leading to a palate showing lovely lifted freshness. Fine-grained, sandy tannins hold just enough ripeness, while a gentle wave of acidity brings in relaxed herbal cherry flavours, framed by subtle wood. Slight sour cherry tang on the finish. Good structure, grace and harmony. A baby Brunello!
2016
Sesti
Fattoria della Talosa, Rosso di Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy, 2018
90
Initially a bit muted; fragrant cherries with a touch of sloe richness lead to a palate with a lovely creamy texture, displaying licks of wood and vanilla among the black and cherry and wild strawberry flavours. Some spice appears on the finish.
2018
Fattoria della TalosaRosso di Montepulciano
Agricola Cottini, Villa Annaberta, Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy, 2016
90
Subtle aromas of red and black cherry with toasted wood notes lead to an intense, focused palate with textural heft. Sticky kirsch flavours are framed by some woody structure and darker fruits behind.
2016
Agricola CottiniAmarone della Valpolicella
Carpineto, Dogajolo, Tuscany, Italy, 2017
89
A fresh nose with red Sangiovese fruit and darker Cabernet influence too. The palate is ripe, refreshing, warm and woody, with some juicy, chewy cherry and strawberry fruits, although it finishes a bit short and dry. Reminiscent of a Chianti Classico Riserva.
2017
Carpineto
Castelfeder, Rieder Lagrein, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, 2018
89
An inky, earthy, brooding nose leads to a fragrant palate with a round, smooth texture. Fresh red cherries and forest fruits sit atop a woody structure, joined by notes of dried strawberries and subtle but fresh acidity. Still young, this will be better after another year or so.
2018
Castelfeder
Feudo Disisa, Granmassenti Perricone, Sicily, Italy, 2017
89
An intense nose of forest fruits leads to a palate with textured tannins which support a vibrant depth of spicy black cherry, tangy raspberry and fragrant wild strawberry fruits. There’s some wood in the background, joined by a good level of non-intrusive acidity. Nice balance.
2017
Feudo Disisa
Col del Mondo, Terre dei Vestini, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy, 2016
89
There’s a hint of charcuterie on the nose, alongside ripe, plummy hedgerow fruit. The textural palate features rich, slightly tarry notes alongside blackberry, wild herb and meaty flavours. Good grip and some spicy density are lifted by a hint of violets. Finishes a touch dry.
2016
Col del MondoMontepulciano d’Abruzzo
Morisfarms, Morellino di Scansano, Tuscany, Italy, 2017
89
A dark, woody nose with some herby touches is followed by plump, chewy red and black fruits in the mouth lightly framed by some wood. Bright acidity cuts through, and the finish is quite long and spicy.
2017
Morisfarms
Gianni Tessari, Tai Rosso, Colli Berici, Veneto, Italy, 2017
89
Known as Tai Rosso in northern Italy, this grape is a genetic match for Grenache. Violet, raisin and black fruit aromas lead to a slightly stalky, brown sugar-like palate featuring easy, violet-tinged red and black fruits. Fruity and fairly concentrated, but perhaps lacks some complexity.
2017
Gianni TessariColli Berici
Tibaldi, Barbera d'Alba, Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy, 2018
89
A lush, almost fumey nose is followed in the mouth by some hard-edged red apple skin and red and black forest fruits. Some bitter cherry and liquorice hints emerge on the mid-palate, and the acidity provides balance to the round, ripe palate – it’s just a little bit hard to get into.
2018
TibaldiBarbera d'Asti
Castello di Bossi, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy, 2015
A brick-red colour shows some age in the glass. Quite exuberant aromas of fragrant strawberry and cherry are followed by a core of lovely chewy...
2015
Castello di BossiChianti Classico
Ciabot Berton, Fisetta, Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy, 2017
88
A more grown-up nose of savoury-edged hedgerow fruits, with a touch of woodiness. The palate has an intense bite of charcuterie and cherry, before fading to reveal some chalky tannins. Tangy red fruit with a meaty side to it.
2017
Ciabot BertonBarbera d'Asti
La Biòca, Stërmà, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy, 2017
88
Quite a seductive nose of soft, sweet red fruits. The palate is grippy and surrounded by a wash of acidity, but there’s a good weight of succulent red fruit in support. There’s a macerated character to this wine, and while the oak threatens to dominate, the acidity just about keeps up. A good food wine.
2017
La BiòcaNebbiolo d’Alba
Masseria Borgo dei Trulli, Saracena Primitivo, Salento, Puglia, Italy, 2017
88
Very attractive plum and black fruit aromas are followed by a big, rich mouthful of sweet, fleshy, plummy fruits streaked with vanilla. It has some texture, but the wood takes over on the mid-palate and it finishes a little hot and short, though with some sweet currant notes.
2017
Masseria Borgo dei TrulliSalento
Nero Oro, Rosso Riverva, Sicily, Italy, 2016
88
Sweet cherry and vanilla aromas with a slight citrus lift accompany a soft cherry and blackberry palate. The acidity is fresh and very slightly saline, and the vanilla and liquorice oak notes stay firmly in the background. It’s not exactly succulent, but it is vibrant.
2016
Nero Oro
Cantina di Negrar, Appassimento, Veneto, Italy, 2018
87
An attractive nose of hedgerow fruits is followed by red berries and a vanilla-laden sweetness on the palate with notes of strawberry, smooth chocolate texture and some wood on the finish. Can be enjoyed without food.
2018
Cantina di Negrar
