Definitively different
In 1999, what was billed as the Definitive Italian tasting was held. This year there was the second Definitive Italian tasting. I had always imagined that definitive was singular.
But apart from this semantic quibble, the annual tasting is both a useful opportunity to see what Italyis up to and a confirmation that, in the UK, Italian wines are still exploited far less than French. We import more than twice as much French wine as Italian. No one would dream of holding a definitive French tasting - there are just too many French wines available in the UK. Indeed, it is now being said that the Australia Day tastings have got so big as to be crowded and unwieldy.
Import figures for 1998-1999 show that Italy has much to do if she is to recapture second place in the UK market. Still wine imports into the UK for 1998-99 show that Italy is being overtaken by Australia in both volume and value.
In 1998 the UK imported 1,091,000 hectolitres from Italy and 891,000 from Australia. During 1999 Italy's volume performance remained more or less static (1,096,000 hectolitres), but Australia's surged to 1,209,000 hectolitres. By value, Australia's surge was even more marked. Imports of Australian wine shot up from £173m in 1998 to £236m the following year, while Italy's sank from £179m to £160m.
Yet Italy has much to offer, especially for drinkers looking for something different. The problem is that there is still a lot of suspicion and ignorance of Italian wine; though there have been enormous changes in the past 10 years. Chris Loveday, of Italian specialist Vinum (020 8840 4070), is optimistic. "More and more people are discovering Italian wines," he says.
This year's Definitive Italian tasting certainly confirmed that there are some very interesting wines coming out of Italy, and not always for ludicrous prices. In general, these are wines made for drinking with food. They will enhance dishes rather than dominate them. They are not confected and cloying, as some wines from Australia or Chile can be. After all, a restaurant needs wines that slip effortlessly down, making it imperative to order another.
From among the established Italian specialists, I was impressed by the 1997 Chianti Classico, Castello di Brolio (£87.60 for six, Enotria: 020 8961 4411); 1997 Barbera d'Asti La luna e il falo (moon and bonfire) Terra da Vino (£45.60 for six, Vinum); 1997 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Dei (£95.40, Lea & Sandeman: 020 7244 0522); 1997 Bardolino Classico Superiore Barrique, tenuta Valleselle (£90, For the Love of Wine: 01359 270377); and 1998 Chianti Castaldo (£64.56, Hallgarten: 01582 722538).
Other suppliers well worth considering are H&H Bancroft (020 7627 8700), the result of a merger between H&H Fine Wines and Adam Bancroft Associates; the Winery (020 7286 6475); and Cerilli & Tondo Wine Co (020 8870 5252), which specialises in interesting small estates. n
by Jim Budd
