Said it before and I’ll say it again. These Calabria wines are wonderfully priced and very well made. Entry level prices means that they can expose these grape styles to the Australian market without fear.

Calabria Private Bin, Montepulciano, Riverina, 2015

Densely coloured and a joyous purple. Big smells: spiced cherries from the jar, licks of fennel spice and tinned plums. A little lighter in the body than the nose suggests, but not wan or lacking in flavour: same as the nose dollops of dark red fruits with a sprinkle of white pepper. Tannin is subtle and grainy. This is simply fun, I like it more than the 2013 which took itself far too seriously. This is all local Italian bistro: chunky glasses, red-check tablecloths, loud kitchen noises and big smiles. Ciao!!!

RRP: $15

Alc: 14%

Wine sample courtesy of Calabria Family Wines