New Year, New Wines

Spiced & Juicy

Elios was born from the passion of two young Sicilian friends, they joined together to develop their families’ farms and to bring them to their full potential after finishing their university studies. Nicola and Guido pride themselves on making minimum intervention, low sulfite wines with native Sicilian, organic grapes grown between Alcamo, Camporeale and Monreale; areas all located in the north-west part of Sicily. The wine making focuses on respect for the varietal, and aims to deliver an easy drinking, approachable style.

This red wine is made with Nero d'Avola grapes, one Siciliy's most popular grapes, and aged for 8 months in chestnut barrels. Elios' Modus Bibendi Rosso is unique in style: it's a lighter and more aromatic version of the grape. On the nose, it smells of fresh red fruit with hints of almonds and cloves. On the palate, it has a great acidity and smooth and soft tannins.

Pair this Nero d'Avola with tomato-based dishes such as pizza and pasta.

Robust & Savoury

Villa Calcinaia is located in the heart of Chianti Classico, near the village of Greve-in-Chianti. This Tuscan estate has been home to the Capponi family since 1524. It is now in the hands of 37th-generation Conte Sebastiano Capponi, who has managed the estate since 1992.

The ripe and perfectly healthy grapes from each block are long fermented and then aged separately for 20 months in French oak 500 liters tonneaux and Slavonian oak 30 hl casks. After the cuvee is made the wine ages for another 4/6 months before its bottling.

The colour of Villa Calcinaia’s Chianti Classico Riserva is rich ruby, whilst the bouquet is mature in its fruit, well blended with the oak. The taste of the wine is soft, velvety. The structure is solid and the wood well integrated. The aftertaste is spicy and persistent.

Villa Calcinaia’s Riserva is for important occasions, with rich meat dishes, or just as an added enjoyment during a conversation.

Floral & Tannic

Elios was born from the passion of two young Sicilian friends, they joined together to develop their families’ farms and to bring them to their full potential after finishing their university studies. Nicola and Guide pride themselves on making minimum intervention, low sulfite wines with native Sicilian, organic grapes grown between Alcamo, Camporeale and Monreale; areas all located in the north-west part of Sicily. The wine making focuses on respect for the varietal, and aims to deliver an easy drinking, approachable style.

This wine is a blend of Catarratto grown in the area of Monreale, and Grillo and Zibibbo from Alcamo. The Catarratto adds acidity to the blend, the Grillo adds structure and the Zibibbo adds the aromas. All the grapes macerate for 20 days on the skins and aged for 6 months over the lees. This bright happy orange wine has notes of zingy apricot, orange blossoms, rose petals and seville orange marmalade on the nose. On the palate it is well-structured, with a light tannic grip. The good level of acidity gives the wine a special freshness.

Pair this orange wine with boiled artichokes with anchovy-and-garlic butter. Oven baked salmon with capers and hard cheeses boards are also excellent pairings.

Earthy & Silky

The Baud estate dates back to 1742, today the 9th generation manages the winery. Siblings Clementine and Bastien, both under 30, are making some of the best value wines in the area. Jura is that narrow valley in the remote hills between Burgundy and Switzerland, which millions of years ago was covered by an Ocean and today still bares many of the fossils from that time. If you kick a stone in a Jura vineyard, it will probably be a fossil.

Trousseau is by far the rarest grape variety in the Jura, planted in less than 8% of the total Jura vineyard, it has a biological relationship with the white grape Savagnin, being originally from this magical region. The vineyards are planted on rich red marl and gravel soils, along the Cotes du Jura appellation. On the nose, it has aromas of red fruits and leather, with a hint of sub-bois. Tannins are soft and silky, and the palate is very well-balanced.

Enjoy it on its own, or pair it with red meats such as game and venison..