Italy, Read Slowly
A grey London day. Italian wine in the glass. And the rare feeling that the timing was right.
Borsa Vini Italiani did not feel like a showcase designed to impress. It felt like a conversation that unfolded gradually, sometimes unexpectedly, and often against the grain of what the market currently rewards. Rather than offering a polished narrative of “Italian excellence”, the tasting revealed something far more interesting: a country negotiating with itself – between heritage and pressure, memory and adaptation, identity and survival.
The eleven producers presented did not align stylistically, geographically, or philosophically. What united them was intent. Each winery arrived with its own internal logic, answering different questions about climate, economics, genetics, history, or scale. None of them offered shortcuts.
This was not a tasting to skim. It demanded attention.
The North: Height, Structure, and Engineered Precision
If there was one part of the tasting where Italy spoke in complete sentences rather than slogans, it was the North. Not because these wines were louder or more immediately impressive, but because they were constructed – intellectually, technically, and geographically – with unusual clarity.
Northern Italy at Borsa Vini did not present itself as a postcard. It presented itself as a system.
Borgo Molino Vigne e Vini
When Engineering Becomes a Style Choice
Borgo Molino is often read too quickly as a “successful Prosecco producer”. That is both true and misleading.
Founded in 1922 in Roncadelle, in the municipality of Ormelle, Borgo Molino emerged in a Veneto still in the process of reshaping itself after the First World War. At a time when mixed agriculture dominated the plains of Treviso, the Nardin family made a counterintuitive decision: to focus almost entirely on viticulture. That choice – pragmatic rather than romantic – set the tone for everything that followed.
Today, the estate is run by the third generation, brothers Pietro and Paolo Nardin, who inherited not only vineyards but a deeply ingrained belief in precision. Borgo Molino now manages around 250 hectares spread across three radically different pedoclimatic zones, each used deliberately rather than opportunistically.
- The alluvial plains of Ormelle (Treviso DOC) provide consistency, yield, and the structural backbone for Prosecco DOC.
- The steep marl and sandstone hills of Valdobbiadene deliver tension, minerality, and the raw material for Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
- The gravelly soils of Friuli in Spilimbergo favour aromatic concentration and linearity in still white wines.
What truly differentiates Borgo Molino, however, is not geography but technology – specifically the Ganimede fermentation system.
This is not technology for effect. It is technology with consequences.
The Ganimede system uses the carbon dioxide naturally released during fermentation as the engine for extraction. Instead of relying on mechanical pumping – which can shear skins, crush seeds, and introduce bitterness – CO₂, where they is temporarily trapped in the tank and then released in controlled bursts. The effect is a gentle but powerful internal mixing.
For red wines, this allows a critical intervention: early seed separation. During delestage, grape seeds fall to the specially designed bottom of the tank and can be removed. Since seeds are the primary source of harsh, green tannins, their removal results in reds that feel softer, rounder, and more approachable even in youth.
For whites, the system enables dynamic skin contact in a CO₂-saturated environment, effectively excluding oxygen. This preserves volatile thiols and terpenes – the aromatic compounds responsible for grapefruit, passionfruit, and floral notes, particularly in Sauvignon Blanc. The aromatic clarity in Borgo Molino’s whites is not accidental; it is engineered.
Wines tasted
Molivo Prosecco DOC Extra Dry – Glera 100%
Bright pear, white peach, a gentle floral lift. The sweetness is present but calibrated, giving softness without dulling the finish. A wine designed to move quickly in the glass, but not collapse.
Molivo Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millesimato 2024 – Glera 100%
Tighter mousse, more citrus and green apple, with a distinctly mineral edge. This is less about easy charm and more about line. A Prosecco that behaves well at the table.
Molivo Prosecco DOC Rosé Extra Dry – Glera 85%, Pinot Nero 15%
Strawberry, red apple skin, soft bubbles. Pinot Nero does not add depth so much as contour – a subtle grip that gives the wine shape rather than weight.
Pinot Grigio DOC Delle Venezie 2024 – Corte Molino
Stone fruit and citrus peel, clean and dry, with a light saline finish. A reminder that Pinot Grigio can still be neutral without being dull.
Pinot Grigio DOC Delle Venezie Blush 2024 – Corte Molino
Pink grapefruit, melon, a faint floral note. Pale in colour, restrained in expression, deliberately uncomplicated and properly dry.
Ca’ di Rajo
Bellussera: Viticulture as Architecture
Ca’ di Rajo does not merely farm vineyards. It maintains a historical structure.
The estate preserves approximately 15 hectares of Bellussera, one of the most visually dramatic and historically significant vine training systems in Italy. Invented by the Bellussi brothers in the late 19th century near San Polo di Piave, Bellussera was a direct response to the downy mildew crisis that followed phylloxera.
The system trains vines at a height of 2.5 metres on tall wooden poles, with wires radiating outward to form a continuous diamond-shaped canopy. This elevation maximised air circulation and sunlight, reducing humidity and fungal pressure long before chemical treatments were available.
Bellussera was also deeply social. Under the mezzadria (sharecropping) system, its height allowed families to cultivate vegetables, cereals, and fodder beneath the vines. It was a form of vertical polyculture – efficient, resilient, and entirely unromantic.
Today, Bellussera is commercially irrational. It cannot be mechanised. It requires hand harvesting. It is expensive and slow. Which is precisely why Ca’ di Rajo has chosen to preserve it – and to make it central to their identity. The distinctive rhombus pattern of the wires is embossed on their bottles, turning vineyard architecture into brand language.
The estate itself reinforces this sense of continuity. The Torre di Rai, a 10th-century tower built on Roman foundations, stands as a reminder that this land has always been strategic. The nearby Chiesetta del Carmine, dating to the 14th century, anchors the winery within a much longer human narrative.
Wines tasted
Prosecco DOC Treviso Millesimato 2024 Extra Brut – Glera 100%
Crisp citrus, green apple, chalky dryness. Brisk, linear, and clearly designed with food in mind.
Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry – Glera 100%
Riper pear and white peach, softer mousse. The sweetness is controlled, giving comfort without heaviness.
Prosecco DOC Bio-Organic Brut – Glera 100%
Restrained aromatics that open gradually. Lemon zest, orchard fruit, and lower alcohol contribute to a lighter, more agile palate.
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millesimato 2024 Brut – Glera 100%
More tension, more altitude in character. Citrus, apple, a faint herbal note. Polished and quietly precise.
Epsilon Bloom Bubble Zero Alcohol – Glera 100%
A different category entirely. Aromas of grape must, apple, citrus. Fresh and sparkling, prioritising clarity over illusion.
Cantina Valle Isarco
Heroic Viticulture at the Alpine Limit
Cantina Valle Isarco – Eisacktaler Kellerei – operates at the physical edge of Italian viticulture. Based in Chiusa (Klausen), it is Italy’s northernmost cooperative and one of its smallest, with 135 members farming vineyards between 300 and 1,000 metres above sea level.
This is officially classified as viticoltura eroica. Slopes exceed 30%. Mechanisation is impossible. Every task – pruning, canopy management, harvest – is done by hand. Dry-stone walls must be constantly rebuilt to prevent erosion. The cost of maintenance is permanent.
Yet these conditions profoundly shape the wines.
At altitude, UV radiation is stronger, prompting vines to thicken their grape skins as a form of protection. Aromatic compounds concentrate there. At the same time, dramatic diurnal temperature shifts – warm days, cold nights – preserve malic acid and lock in freshness. The result is a natural architecture of acidity and aroma.
The cooperative’s spiritual and symbolic heart is the Sabiona Monastery, known as the “Acropolis of Tyrol”. Within its walls lies a rare walled vineyard, a clos, tended by the cooperative on behalf of the cloistered Benedictine nuns. Grapes from this site are vinified separately as the Sabiona Crus, linking modern winemaking to monastic viticulture that likely dates back to the Middle Ages.
Wines tasted
Pinot Bianco 2024 – Alto Adige DOC
Apple, pear, white flowers. Cool, mineral, energetic. A wine built on clarity rather than volume.
Pinot Grigio 2024 – Alto Adige DOC
Citrus, pear skin, subtle herbal edge. Dry, precise, unmistakably alpine.
Kerner Aristos 2024 – Alto Adige DOC
Lime, white peach, alpine herbs. Long, vibrant, almost electric on the finish.
Sauvignon Aristos 2024 – Alto Adige DOC
Elderflower, nettle, citrus peel. Linear, focused, uncompromisingly dry.
Lagrein 2024 – Alto Adige DOC
Dark cherry, blackberry, violets. Structured tannins, fresh backbone, quiet authority.
The Centre: Memory, Genetics, and the Politics of Continuity
If the North at Borsa Vini spoke in the language of structure and altitude, the Centre spoke in layers. This was Italy where wine is less about solving problems and more about negotiating with the past – sometimes gently, sometimes defiantly.
Here, vineyards function not only as agricultural assets but as archives. Genetic, cultural, and often political.
Cantina Mingazzini
Albana Rosa and the Fragility of Survival
Cantina Mingazzini, based in Medicina near Bologna, tells one of those Italian wine stories that feels almost accidental – and therefore precious.
Albana is a grape with a long and complicated reputation. It was the first white wine in Italy to receive DOCG status (Romagna Albana DOCG, 1987), celebrated historically for its structure and phenolic grip, yet often misunderstood in modern contexts. Thick skins, high tannins for a white variety, oxidative tendencies – Albana does not behave politely.
Albana Rosa complicates the picture even further.
Albana Rosa is a pink-skinned mutation (or biotype) of standard Albana, comparable in genetic logic to Pinot Gris versus Pinot Noir, or Sauvignon Gris versus Sauvignon Blanc. Its skins range from pale pink to coppery hues, containing different aromatic precursors and anthocyanins absent in the golden-skinned Albana clone.
During the vineyard rationalisation of the 1970s and 1980s, when Romagna aggressively replanted for yield and uniformity, Albana Rosa was almost entirely uprooted. It produced less. It looked strange. It did not fit commercial logic.
Mingazzini kept it.
To vinify Albana Rosa without losing its identity, the winery employs extended cold maceration (cryomaceration) – typically 24 hours or more. This extracts colour and aromatics while avoiding fermentation on the skins, which would push the wine toward orange wine territory. The result is something that resists categorisation: technically a rosé, aromatically closer to a white, structurally flirting with light red wine.
Mingazzini’s broader story mirrors the evolution of Italian wine itself. Founded in 1964 as a cantina di città, it originally sold wine in bulk to local customers. Over decades, under the guidance of Alessandro Mingazzini and Tommaso Dall’Olio, it shifted toward bottled, terroir-driven wines – not by abandoning tradition, but by narrowing focus.
Alongside Albana Rosa, Mingazzini has invested in Famoso (Uva Rambela), an aromatic variety recovered from near extinction in the early 2000s. Its survival is another example of how Italian biodiversity often hangs by a thread.
Wines tasted
CinquantaCinque Rosa 2025 – Rubicone Rosato IGT – Albana Rosa 100%
Wild strawberry, pomegranate, rose petal. Dry, with a gently grippy mid-palate. A rosé that behaves like food rather than refreshment.
CinquantaCinque Secco 2024 – Romagna Albana Secco DOCG – Albana 100%
Pear, yellow plum, almond skin. Savoury, textured, with phenolic tension that defines Albana at its best.
Arjel 2025 – Rubicone IGT – Famoso 70%, Sauvignon Blanc 30%
Elderflower, citrus, white peach. Famoso brings softness and perfume; Sauvignon adds line and lift. Aromatic without excess.
Alcjone 2024 – Romagna Sangiovese Superiore DOC – Sangiovese 100%
Bright cherry and red currant, fresh acidity, modest tannins. Direct and unpretentious.
Aljmede 2024 – Rubicone IGT – Cabernet Sauvignon 100%
Blackcurrant, leafy edges, firm structure. A wine that clearly expects food – and time.
Montemercurio
Field Blends, Pulcinculo, and the Tyranny of Clean Labels
Montemercurio, in Montepulciano, Tuscany, operates on a principle increasingly rare in modern viticulture: genetic messiness.
The estate’s symbolic heart is the Damo vineyard, a 3-hectare plot planted in 1958 by the family patriarch. Unlike modern single-clone vineyards, Damo is a true field blend: Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo, Colorino, Barbera – and, crucially, white varieties that Tuscany has largely erased.
The most notable of these is Pulcinculo.
Pulcinculo is a hyper-local Poliziano synonym or biotype of Grechetto, adapted to the clay-rich soils of Montepulciano. Its name, rooted in rural dialect, is too inelegant for modern branding – and that, paradoxically, is why it survived only in forgotten corners.
Montemercurio did not just preserve Pulcinculo; it propagated cuttings from the original vines to replant new parcels, effectively rescuing a local genetic identity that would otherwise have disappeared under the pressure of varietal standardisation.
The estate’s approach to Vin Santo adds another layer of continuity. During cellar renovations in 2007, Marco Anselmi discovered sealed caratelli barrels dating from 1986–1994. Inside was not just old wine, but madre – the living sediment of yeast and bacteria passed from generation to generation.
By reintroducing this madre into current Vin Santo production, Montemercurio restored a microbial lineage potentially hundreds of years old. In a world obsessed with selected yeasts, this is an act of quiet rebellion.
Wines tasted
Tedicciolo 2022 – Toscana Rosso IGT – Sangiovese 80%, Merlot 20%
Juicy cherry and plum, softened by Merlot. Immediate, generous, readable.
Petaso 2021 – Rosso di Montepulciano DOC – Sangiovese 95%, Merlot 5%
Sour cherry, dried herbs, clean acidity. Built for the table.
Messaggero 2019 – Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG – Sangiovese 95%, Canaiolo Nero 5%
More depth and restraint. Cherry, leather hints, dried flowers, savoury spice.
Damo 2016 – Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG – Sangiovese 80%, field blend 20%
Dried cherry, tobacco, earthy complexity. Integrated tannins, calm maturity.
Caduceo 2022 – Toscana Bianco IGT – Field blend (Canaiolo Bianco, Pulcinculo, Trebbiano, Malvasia)
Orchard fruit, citrus, subtle herbal lift. Texture and quiet complexity over aroma.
MPS Tenimenti
When Finance Owns Terroir
MPS Tenimenti occupies a unique and slightly uncomfortable position in Italian wine. It is owned by Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472 and recognised as the oldest operating bank in the world.
The bank’s ownership of agricultural land is not incidental. Historically, vineyards were assets – collateral, investments, symbols of stability. Poggio Bonelli and Chigi Saracini passed through the hands of some of Siena’s most powerful families, including the Piccolomini (which produced two popes) and the Chigi Saracini dynasty.
Following the Italian state bailout of MPS in 2017, the bank was required by the EU to divest non-core assets. As of 2026, these estates remain in limbo – producing wine under the shadow of eventual sale. It is a reminder that terroir, too, can be subject to balance sheets.
Agronomically, however, standards remain high. The estate produces Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, the top tier of the appellation, from single-vineyard Sangiovese grown at 300–350 metres on alluvial soils. The wines are certified under Agriqualità, Tuscany’s integrated pest management protocol.
Wines tasted
Poggiassai 2018 – Toscana IGT – Sangiovese 75%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%
Cherry and blackcurrant, firm structure, clear intent.
Chianti Riserva 2022 DOCG – Sangiovese 100%
Classic cherry, dried herbs, purposeful tannins.
Chianti Classico 2022 DOCG – Sangiovese 95%, Merlot 5%
More polished aromatics, violet hints, clean finish.
Chianti Classico Riserva 2020 DOCG – Sangiovese 100%
Darker fruit, savoury spice, firmer frame.
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Chigi Saracini 2021 DOCG – Sangiovese 100%
Layered, mineral, composed. Length driven by savoury tension rather than fruit weight.
The South and the Edges: Resistance, Experiment, and Long Memory
If the Centre of Italy negotiates with memory, the South works at the margins – climatic, genetic, cultural. Here, wine is less about continuity and more about resistance: to heat, to simplification, to market stereotypes that have followed southern regions for decades.
This was the Italy that refused to be reduced to ripeness and sun.
Sacco Vignaioli Apuli
Learning to Speak Nero di Troia
Sacco Vignaioli Apuli, based in Torremaggiore in northern Puglia, has built its entire identity around a grape that most producers once treated as a problem: Nero di Troia, also known as Uva di Troia.
Late-ripening, thick-skinned, tannic, and historically prone to vegetal bitterness, Nero di Troia was long relegated to blending. It ripens in October, when autumn rains threaten rot, and its tannins demand patience rather than force.
The Sacco family made a different choice: instead of taming the grape, they learned to read it.
Their vineyards sit at the foothills of the Gargano mountains, where constant airflow from the Adriatic Sea keeps bunches dry during the long ripening season. Calcareous soils provide acidity, preventing the grape’s natural power from tipping into heaviness. Organic farming was adopted early, at a time when the Foggia province was still dominated by industrial bulk production.
Precision matters here. Temperature control during fermentation preserves freshness not only in whites, but crucially in rosato and reds. The result is Nero di Troia, which feels structured rather than aggressive.
Wines tasted
Terra Mij Bombino Bianco 2024 – IGP Puglia – Bombino Bianco Bio
Lemon, green apple, saline finish. Light, dry, and quietly mineral – a wine shaped by wind as much as sun.
Aleis Falanghina 2024 – IGP Puglia – Falanghina Bio
Citrus blossom, peach, and a lightly bitter edge. Fresh, gastronomic, unapologetically dry.
Unanotte 2024 – IGP Puglia – Nero di Troia Rosato Bio
Cherry and red berries, coral-pink in colour. Dry, energetic, with grip rather than sweetness. A rosato with red-wine bones.
Terra Mij Nero di Troia 2022 – IGP Puglia
Firm red fruit, lightly earthy notes, structured tannins. Serious, unhurried, asking for food.
Terra Mij Primitivo 2023 – IGP Puglia – Primitivo Bio
Plum and blackberry, but held firmly in check. Richness without collapse – a deliberate refusal of jamminess.
Le Carezze Cantina Biologica
PIWI Varieties and the Limits of Organic Orthodoxy
Le Carezze, in Terrazzo near Verona, operates at the edge of what we still comfortably call “wine”. Their focus is on PIWI varieties – fungus-resistant vines developed through traditional cross-breeding between Vitis vinifera and wild American or Asian species.
This is not genetic modification. It is slow, patient breeding. And it addresses a growing contradiction in European viticulture.
Organic farming still relies on copper and sulphur to fight fungal disease. Copper, a heavy metal, accumulates in soil and poses long-term ecological risks. PIWI varieties reduce or eliminate the need for such treatments altogether. At Le Carezze, chemical interventions drop by up to 70%, often approaching zero.
This is sustainability without romance – and without slogans.
Wines tasted
Iris 2023 – Charmat Method Brut Millesimato – Kretos (resistant Sauvignon)
Citrus, green apple, herbal edges. Clean, fresh, contemporary, unapologetically modern.
Athena 2023 – Veneto IGT – Fluertai & Johanniter
Stone fruit, citrus, light floral notes. Soft texture, dry finish, clarity over intensity.
Urano 2020 – Veneto IGT – Cabernet Volos
Dark fruit, savoury undertones, firm structure. A red that challenges assumptions about PIWI limitations.
Vulcanus 2019 – Verona IGT – Merlot
Dense plum and dark cherry, fuller-bodied, slightly rustic. Power without polish.
Calypso 2022 – Passito IGT – Palava
Honeyed apricot, floral spice, aromatic sweetness. Experimental, but coherent.
Tenute Venturini Foschi
Slowing Down Time
In Medesano, near Parma, Tenute Venturini Foschi frames its philosophy around a simple refusal: refusing speed.
The estate sits beneath a 15th-century Pallavicino tower, once guarding salt routes and pilgrims on the Via Francigena. The surrounding landscape – woodlands, vineyards, restored historic buildings – is treated as a single ecosystem.
Viticulturally, the estate focuses on Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, a grape rich in terpenes and notoriously difficult to balance. Aromatic intensity can easily tip into bitterness or oxidative heaviness. Venturini Foschi counters this through organic farming, yield restriction, and restraint in the cellar.
At the same time, the estate is looking upward. A new high-altitude site, Terre Alte at 450 metres, is planted with Pinot Nero and Chardonnay for future Metodo Classico sparkling wines – a quiet acknowledgement of climate realities.
Wines tasted
Sophia 2019 – Vino Spumante di Qualità – Chardonnay 60%, Pinot Nero 40%
Subtle autolysis, citrus, orchard fruit. Composed, dry, quietly confident.
Gemma 2019 – Emilia IGT – Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
Orange blossom, grape flower, gentle spice. Aromatic, yet disciplined and dry.
Fonio 2022 – Emilia IGT – Chardonnay
Stone fruit, balanced acidity, clean structure. More about harmony than complexity.
Ca’ Fontani 2022 – Emilia IGT – Ervi 100% (Barbera x Croatina cross)
Dark fruit, vivid acidity, slightly wild edge. Energy over refinement.
Jackie 2022 – Emilia Rosso IGT – Rebo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
Dark fruit, spice, broader palate. Modern in construction, serious in intent.
Villa Russiz
Wine as Social Infrastructure
Villa Russiz, in Collio, operates under a model almost entirely absent from contemporary wine discourse: it is a non-profit foundation. Every bottle sold supports an orphanage – the Casa Famiglia – established after World War I to care for displaced children.
The estate’s origins are cosmopolitan. In 1868, Count Theodor de la Tour, a French agronomist, married Elvine Ritter de Zahony, an Austrian noblewoman. He introduced French varieties – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Merlot – to Collio’s ponca soils, shaping the region’s future identity.
Legend holds that the first vine cuttings arrived hidden in bouquets of flowers.
Wines tasted
Pinot Bianco 2024 – Collio DOC
Orchard fruit, subtle florals, mineral restraint. Elegance through understatement.
Sauvignon 2024 – Collio DOC
Citrus, herbs, poised freshness. Shaped rather than explosive.
Friulano 2024 – Collio DOC
Pear, almond, savoury finish. Texture as narrative.
Chardonnay Grafin de la Tour 2021 – Collio DOC
Broader palate, discreet creaminess, controlled ripeness.
Merlot Graf de la Tour 2020 – Collio DOC
Plum, soft structure, quietly persuasive.
Vinum Hadrianum
Archaeology in Liquid Form
Vinum Hadrianum, in Atri (Abruzzo), is perhaps the most conceptually radical project of the tasting. It aims to reconstruct Vinum Hadrianum, one of the most celebrated wines of ancient Rome, referenced by Pliny the Elder and listed in Diocletian’s Edict on Maximum Prices.
Atri was a major Roman centre for ceramic production. Amphorae stamped “HATRIA” have been found across the Mediterranean. The modern winery revives this tradition by fermenting and ageing wines in terracotta amphorae, allowing micro-oxygenation without flavour imprint.
This is not an amphora as fashion. It is an amphora as an argument.
Wines tasted
Maximo 2021 – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG Colline Teramane
Dark cherry, black plum, firm tannins. Serious, deliberate, structured.
Publicius 2024 – Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
Cherry, pomegranate, dry grip. A rosato with red-wine authority.
Caecilia 2023 – Pecorino Abruzzo DOC
Citrus, white peach, saline tension. Pecorino’s natural edge fully intact.
Petronia 2024 – Passerina Colli Aprutini IGT
Light-bodied, fresh, direct. Drinkability without dilution.
Naevia 2023 – Pecorino Colli Aprutini IGT
Rounder, softer, still precise. A gentler expression of the same core.
A special mention to Claudio Povero (Italian Trade Agency - ITA, London Office), who was present and clearly doing what the best trade people do: connecting the right producers with the right conversations, without turning it into theatre.
Somewhere between Alpine slopes, forgotten yeast, resistant hybrids, Roman amphorae and institutional vineyards, one line kept returning – not as a conclusion, but as a quiet undercurrent:
A great wine is not the one that shouts the loudest, but the one you want a second glass of.