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Italian new releases late 2023 – the centre, south and islands

Zoe Johnson and John Benda

Following on from yesterday's article on wines from the north, today Walter takes us to the centre and south of the country, right down to Sicily. Above, Zoe Johnson and John Benda of J G Benda in Montalcino.

Toscana

Among the plentiful Tuscan red wines I tasted in the last months, I was intrigued by a couple of whites, for different reasons. The first, Ornellaia’s Poggio alle Gazze, a blend of 72% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Vermentino, 6% Viognier and 6% Verdicchio, is a good wine but for me it doesn’t convey the cerebral message of terroir.

Ornellaia was in the...