A weekend’s drinking and tasting.

Napareuli Seperavi 2012, Marani, Georgia
13.5%
Not available in this country, but a very enjoyable interesting wine, with strawberries and red cherries mixed in with tobacco and an earthiness.

Flor de Crasto 2014, Douro
€12.95 from Wines Direct. Decent well-made wine with dark fruits and a good tannic structure. Somehow lacking excitement though. But ok at the price.

Tio Pepe Fino en Rama, Gonzalez Byass
Lovely vivid tangy dry sherry with delicious lightly toasted almonds and sourdough yeast (I’m making a lot of bread at the moment). Sadly all gone now; it lasted ten days, something of a record in this household. €18.99 from Bradleys, Cork, Winesoftheworld.ie and probably a few other specialist retail shops.

Palmento Vino di Anna, Vin Rosso
No vintage (although the XIV in the corner would indicate 2014), no regional indication, but it is made by Vino di Anna, the winery on Mount Etna owned by Anna Martens and Eric Narioo of UK wine importer Caves de Peyrenne.. Light slightly fizzy juicy strawberry fruits, with a nice earthiness. Pleasant interesting wine; just not quite sure I would pay €30 for it. Under Coravin, so I’ll try it again later.

Fattori Sauvignon Vecchie Scuole 2015, Sauvignon delle Venezie IGT, Terrini Vulcanici
Delicious fresh dry Sauvignon – this will certainly make it as a Top Drop white later this week. €19.95 from Grapevine, Dalkey.

Primitvo Lamie dell Vigne 2012, Masseria Guttarolo, Puglia
This too will certainly feature as a wine of the week; delicious complex powerful wine that was an utter joy to drink. €24 from Mitchell & Son, Green Man Wines, Terenure and Sheridan’s Cheesemngers.

Pinot Nero dell’ Oltrepo Pavese Poggio Pelato 2013, Tenuta il Bosco
Good concentration of leafy tangy plum fruits with a dry plumstone finish.
Enjoyable wine, but just didn’t have that sweetness that makes Pinot Noir so delicious. €16.95 from Fresh outlets.

Viognier 2015, Pays d’Oc, Delas
From one of the leading northern Rhône producers, an uncomplicated easy white wine with ripe, almost sweetish peach fruits. Light for a Viognier with 12.5% alcohol. Imported by Febvre, but not sure about retail price.