Tuscany

Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history and artistic legacy.

As the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, the region has an incredible art and architecture heritage.

Tuscany is certainly the most famous of all Italian regions for its wines. Sangiovese reigns in all its forms in the vineyards of Chianti but also Montepulciano and Montalcino.

It is also the land of the Super Tuscan, the Bordeaux blend style that laid the foundation of some of the greatest Italian wines.

As a pairing with these wines, Tuscany cuisine is based on simplicity but high quality and certainly topped with Tuscan olive oil, recognized all over the world.

San Polino

San Polino is about 8 hectares of Sangiovese vineyards which lie in 3 different plots of land. They are located at San Polino and to the north of Montalcino to 450m asl.

It was the first farm in Montalcino to obtain Organic certification, in 1994.

The owners, Luigi and Katia, have a holistic attitude to viticulture.

They believe that they must respect, encourage and restore the biodiversity in the vineyard.

To fertilize the fields, they make their own compost using the stalks of the grape bunches, the pressed grape skins, all the green cuttings, from grass to pruning and animal dung.

They plant grasses and beans to add nitrogen and nutrients to the soil.

Rhône

One of the demanded red wine regions in France is the Rhône, a valley that starts due south of Lyon and continues along the Rhône River until Provence.

Due to its notable length, it has varying soils, expositions, micro-climates and varieties. The north is home to appellations such as Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph, Cornas and features Syrah as its sole red grape. Its whites include Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

In its southern half of the Rhône, the wines are notably different. The vineyards are hotter, flatter and composed of different soils and varieties, such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan as well as the ubiquitous Syrah. The resulting wines such as Châteauneuf du Pape, are rich and robust with lots of character and warmth.

Domaine de La Solitude

La Solitude belongs to one of the oldest families of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Their history goes back to the XVth century. From generation to generation, the Estate is still a family affair and is now run by Florent Lançon.
La Solitude stretches over 37 hectares of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The domain begins on “La Crau”, high terraces of the Rhône and then descends into the valley of la Solitude. It is a patchwork of terroirs ranging from sandy soils (safres) to clay and pebbles (galets roulés). Thirteen different grape varieties are cultivated there!
The vineyard has been practising organic viticulture for a long time and will be officially certified from 2021 vintage and biodynamic from 2022.

South West

The South West (or ‘Sud-Ouest’) is a relatively large territorial zone of France, incorporating the administrative regions of Aquitaine, Limousin and Midi-Pyrenees but excluding Bordeaux.
South West France is a rather heterogeneous region in terms of its wines and how they are marketed. It is rare to see wines being sold as Vins du Sud-Ouest. With Bordeaux brightly highlighted wines, the south-western wine regions have been struggling for centuries to get recognition for their diverse & unique appellations.
The region’s wine portfolio, meanwhile, includes sweet wines from Jurancon; tannic, full-blooded reds from Cahors and Madiran; sparkling wines from Gaillac; and dry whites produced from a wide range of different grape varieties.

Château Montus

Lying between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees Mountains, the spectacular hillside vineyard of Montus, overlooking the Adour Valley, is producing some of the finest Madiran.
Alain Brumont purchased Montus to create the wines of his dreams in 1989. Nicknamed the Petrus of the Southwest by several critics, the château is one of France’s most prestigious wine producers.

Piedmont

Located, as its name suggests, at the foot of the Alps bordering France and Switzerland, Piedmont is the second largest of Italy’s 20 regions, after Sicily.

Recognized for its industry like Fiat in Turin, Piedmont is also one of the greatest regions in the world in terms of cuisine (don’t forget the white truffles from Alba!) and wine!

With 46 DOC and 4 DOCG, Piedmont has more wine appellations than any other Italian region.

Braida

Braida has been created in 1961 by Giacomo Bologna. He has been recognized as the first winemaker to raise the quality from a traditional table Barbera to a fine wine.

In 1982, Braida launched Bricco dell’ Uccellone, a “Super Barbera”.

The wines were aged in small, French oak barrels in order to compensate for Barbera’s lack of tannins. The result was a deeply flavourful, complex wine out of a variety normally considered to be an acidic filler.

Now, the children, Raffaella and Giuseppe, run the wine estate. They have made Braida one of the most respected wineries in Piedmont.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, is home to some of the most famous châteaux in the world of wine. Their exceptional terroir and superlative wines have long reigned as some of the most sought after and investment-worthy.

The majority of Bordeaux wines are dry, red blends from Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon or Cabernet-Franc.

The finest (and most expensive) of these come from the great châteaux of the Left Bank (higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity, more on Cabernet) like Pauillac, Margaux, St Estephe or St Julien and the Right Bank (softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Merlot is the dominant grape), appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. They are complemented by high-quality white wines (particularly from Pessac-Leognan) and the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.