ITALIAN REDS: PICK OF THE HIGH STREET

A hunt for the best Italian red wines between £12 and £20 available in UK high-street chains and supermarkets resulted in entrants spanning 10 different regions, showcasing the diversity available to consumers in 2020. It certainly made for a varied tasting, both in terms of the appellations represented – and in terms of quality.

Italy’s strength-in-depth and huge volume capability makes it a very important component of any retailer’s range and it was encouraging to see many of them making the most of this diversity and providing their customers with plenty of choice.

While Tuscany accounted for more than a quarter of entrants (13 wines), other regions included Piedmont (10), Veneto and Sicily (seven each), Trentino-Alto Adige, Campania and Puglia (three each), Abruzzo (two), and one entry from Umbria.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the final line-up of our favourite 18 wines was dominated by Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont, but it was also encouraging to see lesser known wines such as a Lagrein from Alto Adige and a Perricone from Sicily in the mix, as well as the little-known Tai