Berry Bros & Rudd, Chianti 2010, Italy
Chianti is one of the great wine styles and regions of the world, and like other classic wines it has gone through big changes in the past couple of decades with many producers making Chianti in a much more ‘international’ style, with riper fruit and more use of small French oak barrels to make bigger, more rounded wines than would have once been traditional. For this own-label Chianti Berrys have turned to a deeply traditional 11th century estate called Badia a Coltibuono, but one that is quality concious and modern in its way, with organic agriculture and its own cookery school. The resulting wine is wonderfully fresh and vibrant, zinging with raspberry crunch on the nose edged with tobacco and earthiness, but really it is all about fruit. On the palate it is light to medium-bodied and has that terrific crunch of raspberry again, with a twist of bitter cherry and a smoothing touch of oak. Fantastic gastronomic stuff. Watch the video for more background and food matches. 10.95, .