ONLINE TASTING: Land of the Super Tuscans - Bolgheri with Riccardo Binda & Nelson Pari

Wine school founder Jimmy Smith travelled to the beautiful Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast at the end of 2023 hosted by the Consorzio per la Tutela dei vini DOC Bolgheri e DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia. This is a wine region that is placed proudly on the highest echelon of vinous quality reflected in the princely sums commanded for their bottles. It is home to some of Italy’s most famous names, including Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia and Ornellaia, with repeat vintages of these wines often scoring 100 points by various well-respected critics. Jimmy noted the exceptional quality here and is delighted to host the energetic director of the Bolgheri consorzio, Riccardo Binda and Bolgheri Ambassador Nelson Pari. Jimmy, Riccardo and Nelson will lead you through TEN expertly picked wines showcasing the staggering quality you find in this small coastal zone of Tuscany.

Bolgheri

It is a wine zone in the Maremma that runs parallel to the Tuscan coast in the province of Livorno, named after the town of Bolgheri. It is different from other Italian wine regions, because it is surprisingly new for such an old country. Maremma was swamp land in living memory and only completely drained in the 1930s. What a surprise it was that the fertile, alluvial soils would be so conducive to grapevine cultivation—and not just any, but French varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon rules the roost here, with many people often calling this area the Bordeaux of Italy, crafting complex layered wines found on gravelly soils (just like in the Médoc, Bordeaux). 

Fame was achieved, when, in 1978 Sassicaia of Bolgheri was crowned the best Cabernet Sauvignon from a selection of seventy-two by Decanter magazine. Further, the 1985 vintage was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker - this was the first time an Italian wine had achieved this feat.

Bolgheri has grown to 1,360ha as of 2023. 

Wines on Tasting (10):

Sette Cieli 'Noi 4' Bolgheri Rosso £40
Argentiera Bolgheri Superiore £75
Guado de Gemoli Bolgheri Superiore £65
Il Castellaccio Bolgheri Superiore £45
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore £100
Michele Satta 'Piastraia' Bolgheri Superiore £45
Fabio Motta 'Le Gonnare' Bolgheri Superiore £45
Greppicaia Bolgheri Superiore £45
Caccia al Piano Bolgheri Superiore £65
Grattamacco Bolgheri Bianco £45

ONLINE TASTING FEE STRUCTURE:

For this special online tasting, an exclusive tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 50ml tasting sample of each wine. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. 

Tasting kit delivery can be made to anywhere within the UK only. At present we are unable to fullfill international orders.

DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 55REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost. 

Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.