Monkeyshed Wines

It’s probably best not to delve too deep into exactly what Bonarda is. Ostensibly its native to Italy but there seems to be a certain amount of confusion at home as to what it really is. What is safe to say is that with Malbec, a native of Bordeaux and Cahors, it has found much greater popularity, success and a new sense of purpose in its new home from home Argentina.
Scrummy, a full, rich wine with a damsony tone to its exuberant fruit and great terras argentinas earthy weight.

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Yum! It really is hard to beat a good Garnacha as the saying goes? Juicy, supple and approachable but this has a depth and complexity that just keep you going back for more if only to put your finger on exactly what it is you are tasting.
This comes from the Aragon plains and must be drunk with slow roasted little lamb to be fully appreciated.

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Wow. Amarone is a real mind blower and this is no exception. Good modern purity and deliciously perfumed flavours on both nose and palate.
Amarone is never cheap but this is good value and really punches well above its weight, treat yourself.

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This wine was always a bit of a no brainer when putting together a new list for the Harvey Nichols empire. Always delicious and always a benchmark example of such a classic Italian style. I’ve toyed with it since giving up the luxury of such a vast range and decided in the end that Valpolicella was perhaps a style too far. But I still couldn’t resist trying the new vintage at a recent tasting. Delicious, as ususal, but somehow richer, purer, slightly more vibrant and delicious than I remember? Screw cap! Bored of waiting for the legislators to catch up (and this too is a theme of the family) the Allegrinis declassified from Valpol Classico to straight Valpol in ‘07 and bottled under a screw cap.
Now the wine gets a listing simply for being quite a tasty tipple at the perfect price.

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A cousin of the Alpha Zeta range that so tickles my fancy!
Matt Thomson has weaved his magic with fruit from Abruzzo this time around. Ripeness is never a problem for such a warm region. The challenge is to capture the richness but keep it focused and clean.
So here you are - all the rich flavours of the Abruzzan Med in Technicolor, extra bright, clear and focused.

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Can I get away with the Princes of Denmark being Plantagenets? Probably not, but Plantagenet is one of the original wineries in the Great Southern region of Western Australia and was set up at Mount Barker, not a million miles inland from Denmark, W.A.. So now you know.
This is a classy number. Big on fruit and oak but both are checked by some wonderfully levelling acidity, the key to the wine’s excellent balance. The class of the fruit and wine making skills of John Durham bring a depth of complexity to the wine.
Tidy, very tidy indeed.

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Really juicy friendly stuff. The Deux Roches crew make a range that never disappoints. The common signature throughout is ripe full opulent flavours. That’s what this is all about, and all the tastier for it.

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