• Order the following wines, plus those in the recent October 20, 2019 newsletter, by the case for home, restaurant or office delivery in Ontario from VinoLuna wine agency. Contact via VinoLuna website, by Email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or, in the GTA phone 416 587-6691. 

• The following 2018 Mustilli Falanghina is a result of the late Leonardo Mustilli’s dedication to planting indigenous grapes while others were ripping them out planting international varieties. This is 100% falanghina from a family-owned winery, hand picked and whole-bunch pressed then fermented at 15C in stainless steel tank. It remained two to three months on its lees with stirring then lightly fined and resting three more months in bottle before release.

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Mustilli Falanghina 2018
DOC Falanghina del Sannio, Italy $16.95 12.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of apple and pear interwoven with floral notes and citrus abound. It bathes the palate with creamy-smooth flavours of lemon pie filling, peppery spice and wisps of licorice. This is light-medium weight, balanced on a pin with persistent purity of fruit and replays of palate flavours on the finish and aftertaste. In a word… delicious. Pour with all manner of fish and seafood; raw, grilled, roasted or poached. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Villa Rasina Soave Classico was sourced from hand-picked, 100% garganega grapes sourced from the heart of the Soave region thereby earning its top drawer appellation—Soave Classico. Grapes were gently pressed with juice moved by gravity and fermented in stainless steel with not a splinter of oak.

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Villa Rasina Soave Classico 2018
DOC Soave Classico, Italy $13.95 12.5% alcohol
Aromas of peach, pear and apple abound. A balanced and bountiful flow of flavours envelop the palate with lemon zest and green apple joined by tangy grapefruit on the crisp and clean finish and aftertaste. This is light on its feet and sips well on its own or poured with grilled calamari rings or mussels steamed in white wine—this white wine—leeks and garlic. The price-quality balance swings wildly in your favour; pick up a few. (Vic Harradine)

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Provolo Valpolicella 2018
DOC Valpolicella, Italy $16.95 13.0% alcohol
This red blend—60% corvina/20% rondinella/10% molinara/10% corvinone—is fashioned from grapes that are all indigenous to the Veneto wine region and it saw no oak. Fruit-filled aromas of red cherry and raspberry mingle with rose petals and black plum. It bathes the palate with sweet ripe bramble berry fruit juxtaposed with mouth-watering tang. This is deftly balanced and showcases fresh, lively fruit flavours from cork pop to last drop. Sip on its own or pour with pasta in tomato sauce, lasagna or taco salad. (Vic Harradine)

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Rocca Sveva Valpolicella Superiore 2017
DOC Valpolicella, Italy $17.95 13.0% alcohol
Red berry fruit, mixed spice and notions of rose petals pave the way for a fruit-filled and friendly river of cherry/berry fruit, peppery spice and black plum. It’s medium weight and nicely textured with no rough edges to detract from the balanced-on-a-pin, easygoing experience on the palate. The finish is fruity, tangy and dry. Pour with pasta arrabiata. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2014 Tenute Salvaterra Valpolicella Classico Superiore is a red blend of 65% corvina/20% rondinella/10% corvinone/5% field blend. It was hand harvested and sourced from ten-year-old vines at 550 meters asl.

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Tenute Salvaterra Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2014
DOC Valpolicella, Italy $16.95 14.0% alcohol
This delightful gem matured three months in large oak barrel before bottling. Dark berry fruit, mocha and sandalwood aromas abound. A medium-plus bodied, generously textured stream of crunchy red cherry/berry fruit blankets the palate with great gusto and racy acidity. It’s alive with persistent purity of fruit and oodles of pizzazz and lip-smacking tang. Versatile at the table, it pours delightfully well with spaghetti Bolognese or pasta puttanesca. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2016 Rocca Sveva ‘Nottefonda’ is a red blend of corvina, pinot noir and merlot, the grapes were left for a short time to dry on straw mats then fermented in stainless steel and matured briefly in large oak casks

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Cantina di Soave ‘Rocca Sveva - Nottefonda’ 2016
IGT Veronese, Italy $17.95 13.5% alcohol
Deep, dark and brooding in the glass, aromas of black currant jam adorned with spice waft easily with a gentle swirl. It’s full bodied and fully textured providing a palate-enveloping tsunami wave of juicy ripe fruit flavour with ripe black cherry and black raspberry cloaked in wisps of delightful tang, complexity and charm. The finish and aftertaste linger for twenty seconds or more. Pour alongside grilled rack of lamb or grilled striploin. (Vic Harradine)

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Vigna Dogarina Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
DOC Venezia, Italy $13.95 12.5% alcohol
Dark berry fruit, espresso roast and floral aromas introduce a medium-full bodied, nicely textured flow of black currant, crunchy red currant, racy tang and sprigs of savory herbs that dominate the palate and infuse the long, dry finish. There’s good balance, structure and oodles of tang along with lively fresh fruit flavours. Give this a go with tomato sauce-slathered meat loaf. (Vic Harradine)

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Rocca Sveva Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2015
DOC Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy $24.95 14% alcohol
Delicate aromas of floral notes, spice and berry fruit herald a stunning wash of full-bodied, full-flavored and fully textured ambrosia delivered on a platter of lifted flavours of black currant jelly, tang-laden black plum compote dressed in racy tang and underpinned with good structure and ripe, perceptible tannin. Palate flavours replay on the balanced and beautiful finish. Aerate/decant three hours before pouring with fowl or beef dishes. (Vic Harradine)

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Corte Volponi Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2016
DOC Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy $19.95 14% alcohol
This was fashioned from hand-picked local varieties—55% Corvina/25% Corvinone/20% Rondinella—spending 12 months maturing in large and small oak barrel and further settling for four months in bottle. Lifted aromas of rosewood, earthy notes and mixed spice are the clarion call for a delightfully tangy mouthful of red cherry and pomegranate intertwined with rhubarb and tannin on the palate and aftertaste. Pour with spaghetti and meatballs after a two-hour aeration/decant. (Vic Harradine)

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Cantina di Soave ‘Rocca Alata’ Amarone della Valpolicella 2016
DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella, Italy $34.95 14.5% alcohol
A blend of autochthonous grapes—70% Corvina/25% Rondinella/5% Molinara—this opens with aromas of exotic spice, ripe cherry and sweet pipe tobacco. It’s rich and luscious on the palate with a sweet-tinged river of ripe Bing cherry, black plum and mulberry that blankets the palate interwoven with excellent structure, complexity, deft balance, plenty of charm and a price point that’s particularly attractive. Pour with osso buco. (Vic Harradine)

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Cantina di Soave ‘Cadis’ Amarone della Valpolicella 2016
DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella, Italy $34.95 14.5% alcohol
Aromas of rose petals, mixed spice and earthy notes give way to a tang-laden and tannin-touched stream of medium-weight, nicely textured flavours of racy cranberry, red cherry and plenty of crunchy tang. There’s a mouth-watering finish and lengthy aftertaste showcasing purity of fruit, excellent structure and the promise of getting better with a little more bottle age. If impatient, aerate/decant for two or three hours and pour with cassoulet or hearty beef stew. (Vic Harradine)

• The unique blend of local varieties—40% Corvinone/35% Corvina/20% Rondinella/5% Oseleta—in the following 2015 Corte Volponi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico were hand harvested from traditionally trained pergola vines in small containers then spent three to four months drying—losing up to 50% of their weight. Grapes are destemmed, gently pressed and put under cold maceration for 8-10 days. Half the wine is matured in new French oak barriques and the balance matures in larger oak barrels, 2nd fill before spending a minimum six additional months in bottle before release.

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Corte Volponi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015
DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy $45.95 16.0% alcohol
Dark and brooding in the glass, almost opaque, aromas of alluring, rich black currant and black raspberry waft from the glass decorated with mocha and sandalwood. It surges over the palate with a full-fruited, full-textured wash of pure ambrosia that’s creamy smooth and bursting with palate flavours—black Bing cherry and rich ripe mulberry jam adorned with dark bittersweet chocolate and notions of fig and desiccated black currants. It finishes with palate replays on the monumentally lengthy finish. This is absolutely delicious and quite well priced. (Vic Harradine)