It is thought that one of the main reasons why Merlot gained such a strong foothold among the public is that it is easy to say when ordering in a restaurant, in much the same way that Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso isn’t. It’s a shame, because Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is a grape that can make fantastic wine, especially in Friuli, where its noble history dates back over two millennia (Pliny the Elder cited it as the favourite wine of Augustus’s wife, Livia, circa 20 BC!).

I was curious to see if Jancis Robinson had reviewed many Refosco dal Peduncolo Rossos on her website and I only found a handful, but the same adjectives recurred several times: “gorgeous”, “generous”, “seductive” and “sassy”. That chimes with our experience, because it’s a really expressive wine with dramatic aromas, and this example has theatrical swagger to burn. It’s a flamboyant and sensual red, serpentine as its flavours coil around your tongue, evocative of blood-red cherries steeped in orange juice, sweet spices from the bazaar, the juice of red-fleshed plums combined with cinnamon, neroli and mandarin oil. So, why hasn’t Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso caught on? It’s really hard to say. 13% alc. 12 months in barriques and tonneau. Drink now-2030.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com (Tamlyn Currin): “Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, with its naturally high acidity and often alarmingly firm tannins, can sometimes be pretty hard work. This wine is anything but. Light ruby-to-garnet colour and a nose that smells sweet and fragrant, perhaps a little vanilla pod and cinnamon from oak, perhaps a little orange blossom. There is definitely the fragrance of oranges on the palate – I can almost smell the oils in the air as I'm peeling the orange in my head. And the fruit is so sweet and bright and pumping flavour and alacritous that I can't make it stand still for long enough to be identified. Was that red cherry? Or tangerine? Or maybe rose hip with a sidekick of pitanga? Did I spot a red splat of fresh pomegranate somewhere in there? Yes. Yes. Yes and yes and yes. And the fruit is festooned with lilac blossom, white thyme flowers, a dusting of sumac and baharat. The tannins weave, deft, dextrous, dancing through fruit like ribbons in a Dunhuang dance. Light clouds of white pepper that simply get washed away by wave after wave of this flagrantly seductive wine. Is this really less than £20? VERY GOOD VALUE. Drink 2024-2030” 17.5 points