Aglianico del Vulture. ‘Corte dei Reami’. Cantina di Venosa. 2004

You’ve probably come across wine made from the aglianico grape before as it’s the red wine grape across a great swathe of southern Italy. Pretty harsh and tannic when it’s young - but a different story entirely when it’s got a bit of age to it.

The example comes from Venosa, a town of great antiquity in the north-east corner of Basilicata, and is produced by the local co-op from grapes gathered from around 500 local growers. This 2004 will have accumuated three years in barrel and bottle before release and is just hitting its stride nicely.

(Click on the headline title above for more on this delicious red wine - with pictures !)

Abruzzo festa - invariably terrific. Abruzzo music - invariably not.

But just this once, on that warm October evening…we heard a band who were so outstandingly and blindingly good, they held us - and everyone else within earshot - happily spellbound.

(Listen to the band. Look at their pictures. Click on the headline title above.)

Torre di Giano. Lungarotti. 2006

A treat. This very wine from the classy Lungarotti stable in Umbria has been awarded an ‘Oscar Nazionale’ by the prestigious Almanacco del Berebene 2008. And it’s not difficult to understand why…

(This is the best new white I’ve tried in ages. Click on the headline title above to read more about it - and see some pictures !_