Top Italian reds for under £15/$20

There’s no shortage of options on retailers’ lower shelves, but spend a little more on an Italian wine and you’ll be rewarded by a leap in quality. Andy Howard MW chooses his pick of the best, all priced below £15...

It could be argued that wine consumers today have a much better choice in terms of quality, value and diversity than they did five or 10 years ago. The range of countries, regions, grape varieties and styles is mind-boggling.

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Italian wines are at the forefront of diversity, so this tasting was an ideal way to look at a range of red wines between the £10 and £15 price points. Quality is generally very good at this level – more than 50% of wines submitted achieved 90 points or more (Highly Recommended), with one wine rated outstanding (95 points).Italy has come a long way in wine terms in the past 30 years.Once associated with leafy and astringent Chianti, thin and simple Valpolicella, or rugged, tannic barolo, today’s Italian wines are as diverse as the country itself. Regions are developing, winemaking practices have leapt forward, and quality is higher now than ever before. but why should consumers spend their hard-earned cash on Italian red wines, as opposed to equally worthy choices at similar prices from Spain, France or Australia?For me, the answer lies in the strength of Italy’s native grapes. In his book Native Grape Varieties of Italy, Ian D’Agata suggests there are 377 genetically different varieties in commercial use in Italy – almost a third of the worldwide total, according to Wine Grapes (Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz, 2012), which cites a figure of 1,368 varieties. Italy has more native grape types than France, Spain and Greece (the next three countries) combined. And this is just those in commercial production and scientifically identified – the overall number of Italian native grapes is probably in the thousands.

As mentioned, our tasting focused on wines at £10-£15. Consumers should expect good to very good quality, with distinct grape and terroir characters on show. In nearly every case, wines are ready to drink, but can be kept for a few years if stored well. Better-known varieties (Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Corvina, Barbera, Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, Aglianico) dominated the tasting, as expected. In addition, there was a welcome number of less common grapes, with Lacrima and Dolcetto (Piedmont), Corvinone (Veneto), Canaiolo (Tuscany), Gaglioppo (Calabria) and Tai (Grenache from Veneto) showing promise. One third of the wines were produced in the Veneto (not surprising given this region’s influence in Italian wine production), with 25% of Tuscan origin. Sicily was somewhat under-represented, with only one Etna wine submitted – a pity as there are many good examples in this mid-tier price bracket. There was a strong showing for Valpolicella Ripasso – five out of seven wines being Highly Recommended. This is currently a high- performing DOCG and consumers can be confident that most Ripasso wines will deliver lots of interest and enjoyment.

It was also encouraging to see how well some cheaper Aglianicos performed. This tannic variety, which thrives in Campania and Basilicata, can be very aggressive if not handled well. It seems winemakers are really starting to master this fragrant, long-lived variety – known as the ‘Nebbiolo of the south’ for good reason.

On this showing, consumers can be confident in finding many high-quality, good-value Italian reds on the UK high street. The best combine diversity with a dash of Italian style: lots of drinking pleasure ahead.

See all 30 wines here

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA judge. He runs his own wine consultancy Vinetrades, and was formerly a retail wine buyer for 30 years

See Andy Howard MW’s top Italian high street reds, scoring 91 and above:

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