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Autumn in the heel of Italy

Italy's south still has the capacity to surprise, excite and charm even the most widely travelled and experienced wine buyer.

Last autumn I accompanied Sebastian Payne MW, Society buyer for Italy, on a whistle-stop tour of the southern wine regions of the country. The purpose of the trip was mainly to see existing suppliers from Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria, but also to prospect for new wines.

Tim Sykes

Tim Sykes
Head Buyer

  • date November 2016
  • location Italy
  • people Tim Sykes
Rainy night in Naples

Rainy night in Naples

When it rains in southern Italy, it really rains! Luckily we were met at the airport and whisked off to producers of The Society's Falanghina, La Guardiense Co-op – one of the country's best.

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Puglia & the great Graticciaia

Puglia & the great Graticciaia

After a hair-raising detour into Basilicata we were back in Puglia to visit Agricole Vallone, home of Graticciaia, the region's best-known red.

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Calabria: highlight of our southern odyssey

Calabria: highlight of our southern odyssey

A first-time visit for The Society to Cirò in Calabria was a highlight of the trip. Remote and sadly neglected, this is one of the most beautiful, unspoilt regions of the whole country.

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Puglia on a Plate

Recipes: Puglia on a plate

Simple dishes and excellent-quality home-grown produce are the point of Puglian cuisine, but if you can't get there to try the food out for yourself, here are some recipes for recreating at home.

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Photo Gallery

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Santa Venere’s beautiful vineyards in Cirò, Calabria, in the toe of Italy’s boot, were a highlight of the trip. Welcome to the south! Peppers drying in the window at our hotel in Basilicata (they are dipped in hot oil and served crisp with the aperitivo) Security guards southern-style! Tenuta Rasciatano’s guard dogs keep a vigilant eye on us during our visit! At Racemi it was fascinating to taste through wines from the different soil profiles Do they do this every Friday evening? Were they here to send us off? We shall never know… The back streets of Manduria. Poor and rundown this neighbourhood might be, but I have never seen such heart-warming sentiments daubed on a wall - 'Every time I look at you I fall in love again - I love you' La Guardiense, producers of our Society’s Falanghina and one of Italy’s best co-ops, thanks in no small way to oenologist Marco Giulioli (on the right) Agricole Vallone – producers of our Brindisi Rosso & Rosato and Puglia’s most famous red, Graticciaia. This was the entrance to Castello Serranova – a beautiful venue for our tasting of the Vallone wines Simple local food was the perfect way to round-off our tasting of Cirò at Santa Venere in Calabria

Featured Wines

La Guardiense

Brindisi

Related Articles & Guides

Italy wine guide & map

Food for thought: Inconvenience food

Discovering Campania

Experience trips to other countries with our buying team

Giro d’Italia: Part II

Italy 2016

Giro d’Italia: Part II

The final leg of this mammoth tour taking in five regions in just five days sees buyer Sebastian Payne MW and News editor Joanna Goodman in land-locked Umbria with Montefalco producer Scacciadiavoli and the Barberanis in Orvieto. Finishing up in Tuscany, they spend time with our Society Chianti Rufina supplier where Gualberto talks on video about the true nature of Rufina wines.

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Champagne 2015

The Pull of Pol

Buyer Pierre Mansour and head of copy Paul Trelford visit Champagne house Pol Roger, ‘the world’s most drinkable address’ and find out more about the importance of ageing and the date of disgorgement.

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Cognac 2017

Getting to know Cognac

Emma Briffett learns about the dedication put into creating our Society and Exhibition Cognacs, even witnessing one of them being blended, and changes from a relative Cognac novice to an avid enthusiast.

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Argentina: the present and the future

Argentina

Argentina: the present and the future

Argentina's malbecs, with their softly alluring, fruit-forward charm, are deservedly in vogue. I've been buying South American wine for over two decades and have been excited to see the increasing variety and nuance.

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