Vinita UK Launch

The UK launch of Vinita, a network of five wineries from all over Italy

One of the things I have learnt from working in advertising is to keep things as simple as possible.

The Italians? Well, let's say that simplicity not always high on their list of priorities. Complication is a way of life - it has its own logic and gives you something to talk about, to discuss argue and agree over.

The social rituals of discussing, comparing and considering provide us with a shared experience that binds us together.

A purist oenophile would say it's all about the quality of the wine - a marketer would say the exact opposite. And both would be right in their own way.

My confirmation email for this tasting had no details (y'know, like the date or location) whatsoever. The PR agency did email me the night before - but it went into my junk.

But like the best parties, it all came right in the end.

There were few if any wines here that would cause me to grumble if placed on a dinner table in front of me with a plate of salami, olives and cheese.

There were some I would go out of my way to try again.

Tasting swiftly through several dozen wines in my lunchtime I felt, as I often do at Italian tastings, utterly out of place - my focus and sense of purpose jarred against the dolce vita atmosphere of the Latin crowd.

The wines here were mostly from northern Italy, mostly traditional appellations. Impressions are by winery except where particular wines stood out.

Cantina Bassoli, Emilia Romagna fresh, pure, precise elegant sparklers; very food-friendly, most Good, all very enjoyable.

Villa Caplet, Valpolicella fresh, precise, textured whites; elegantly fruited reds of increasing concentration up to Recioto level

La Campagnina, Tuscany textbook Chiantis, differentiated only by a description of the label (in Italian). I can't really remember the difference between the Ovale Bianca (white label) and the Piazza Firenze (picture of Florence).

Federico II feral aromas, cherry fruit and spice. Long, fresh and supple.
Imperatore spicy and cherry-fruited, elegant and mineral; long, fresh and supple.

La Peschiera, Tuscany fresh elegant whites and reds. Noteworthy Chianti.
Chianti Riserva plump, complex and supple; cherry fruited with spice. Very Good.

Demaria Bartolomeo, Piemonte lovely, expressive whites; adept, supple reds with trademark fine-yet-firm tannins.

Il Falco pure and focused with spice, cherry fruit; supple and plump. Very Good. Barolo aromatic and floral with cherry fruit and spice, fine tannins. Very Good.

Fossato, wines from various classic regions good, well-made, textbook crowd-pleasers