The Kiwis have already taken over the Italian Rugby team, now they're doing the same with wine. Matt Thompson concentrates on vineyard management to produce a pure, clean expression of the classic Veneto variety.

Fresh and lively, with lovely pear and citrus flavours from one of the leading Gavi producers.

Single vinyard Cortese, with good fruit clarity and that beautiful gingery nuttiness you get with top Gavi.

Confusingly named, yet delightful chardonnay from the Piave DOC in the Veneto. Attention to detail in the vineyard and modern winemaking techniques pay off in this rich, smoky, barrel fermented chardonnay which has caramelised vanilla flavours to compliment the tropical fruit vibrancy.

This is a brillliant wine from the Frati stable, based around the beautiful Lake Garda in Northern Italy. Full bodied and creamy with white blossom on the nose, gentle peach and stone fruits and stony minerals.

This is the estate's flagship wine, a blend of the area's native Lugana grape, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Rich and opulent, this is totally brilliant!
www.cadeifrati.it/

Cracking little wine from Sicily: Crisp, clean and refreshing.

Do you think all Pinot Grigio is a little dull? Well try this then. It's creamy, rich and mouth filling and very highly recommended!

The cooler climate of the northerly Alto Adige is perfect for the more aromatic grape varieties. This Traminer (known in Alsace as Gewurztraminer) is no exception. Spicy, floral and unctious.

A fresh and zippy Pinot Bianco with a bit of spice and body from a touch of barrel fermentation.

www.franz-haas.com/

The perfect wine for a summer afternoon, this is Moscato at its best. Luscious yet refreshing, the keen acidity and frothy fizz set off the medium-sweet palate of grape, honey and elderflower perfectly. Beautiful.

For years Italian winemakers have bulked out their Pinot Grigio with Garganega, which is easier to grow but has a fresher, crisper character. They're not supposed to do this any more, and most don't. Of those that do, GPG have been honest and put the grape on the label!

I'm usually a bit cautious about the Tuscans growing so-called 'international' grape varieties, but this wine from a Chianti legend is quite superb. Elegant and fine with lemon on the nose, soft and creamy in the mouth with pineapple, grapefruit and minerals and gently handled oak, this knocks the socks off Burgundy at this price.

Livio Felluga, found almost against the Slovenian border in the Friulli region, are perhaps Italy's most highly regarded producers of white wine. This blend of Chardonnay and the local variety Robolla Gialla has a touch of almost imperceptible barrel ferment, with grapefruit character, fantastic acidity and a delicious leesy minerality. Great with Chicken and Chips.

www.liviofelluga.it/

Awarded Italy's Best White Wine on several occasions by the Bambero Rosso Guide, Nino Pieropan is a meticulous winemaker, and this is absolute class. Elegant and beautifully balanced, wondefully textured with soft nutty characteristics. Legend has it that Dante gave the wine its name 'Soave', meaning 'smooth'.
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With grapes grown in the heartland of Soave, winemaker Leonildo weaves his magic. This stunning wine has so much to say. The nose shows aromas of almond and cherry blossoms, whilst the palate has stone fruit and a zingy acidity.
Note: Pieropan's fruit still all comes from the Classico region, but the wine is not given this classification as Nino has made the brave decision to use a screwcap.

www.pieropan.it/eindex.htm

Probably the most beautiful bottle you are ever likely to see, this is hand-painted and of course, filled with a stunning wine.

A blend of Malvasia, Trebbiano di Soave and Vermentino, this is an aromatic, fresh wine with pears, fruit, and a hint of fennel.
www.poggiotondowines.com/

The 'big two' Italian white grapes blended in this easy-drinking, fruity wine.

Falanghina produces full bodied, spicy wines, remeniscient of Marsanne in the ginger and lemongrass, but with greater tropical fruit flavours - even dried banana. It might be my favourite Italian white!

Based in the North Eastern region of Friuli Isonzo, the Gallo family have been producing wine for more than a century. This unusual Pinot Grigio is fermented and aged in oak barrels and made using the 'Ramato Method' so there is a small amount of skin contact, ensuring a magnificenty pink hue in the wine, and tannin for structure and ageworthiness.

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This top class wine is a blend of Malvasia Istriana, Riesling and Tocai Friulano. It sees absolutely no oak, but rests for 10 months on its lees which creates a softer, almost waxy character. This will age superbly.

Made by the youngest oenologist in Italy, this is proper Pinot Grigio with lots of spice to balance the melon and pear fruit. A real shining example of Alto Adige P-G.



Click here for a detailed tasting note

Made in Puglia rather than its native Campana, this Fiano is full bodied and full of layers of flavour. Dive in and let yourself be submerged.
ww.villaschinosa.it

Livio Felluga are one of the leading ground breakers of Italian white wine (as seen with their championing of screwcaps), not disadvantaged of course by their brilliant location at altitude, right up next to the Slovenian border. Il Livio is a barrel fermented Pinot Bianco with a buttery, creamy citrus nose, a rich palate full of grapefruit, hazelnut and caramelized pineapple, all wrapped up with an elegance reminiscent of the Cote d'Or.

www.liviofelluga.it/