“Glorious… I'd take this over Amarone any day” - JancisRobinson.com

You should have seen our face when our shipment of the Rosso Dorigo arrived from Italy and we checked a bottle to make sure it was as good as we had remembered. It was a look of crestfallen disappointment… because we were sad we hadn't ordered more! Ha, ha! Got you! You weren't expecting that, were you? No sireee. I took you one way then spun you right round with my clever hide and reveal! What’s that you say? Get on with it? Ok, suit yourself…

Rather excitingly, this tasting note operates like a self-assessment tax return form, so if you already know the story behind this wine, please proceed to Section (b). Otherwise please begin at Section (a):

Section (a). The Rosso Dorigo NV is a wine from northern Italy, which tastes like a serious Amarone, one that would certainly set you back anywhere between £30 and £50 a bottle, but the beauty is that it’s only £18.95 a bottle. Why? Well, like Amarone, it is made from grapes that were hand-harvested and dried on straw mats before fermentation in order to concentrate the colour, aroma, texture and flavour. Unlike Amarone, however, it is made in the Friuli region, not the Veneto region, and from Refosco grapes, not Corvina, the traditional Amarone grape. The bureaucrats responsible for appellation (DOC) law in Friuli do not consider this a ‘traditional’ or ‘typical’ style of wine for the area, so Alessio Dorigo is only allowed to call it a humble vino da tavola (table wine) and isn’t even allowed to mention the vintage on the label (“That’ll show him!” cackled the bureaucrats, ghoulishly rubbing their hands together in vengeful glee, “How dare he make a delicious wine that raises the profile of our region!”). The great benefit for wily consumers, however, is that Alessio can’t charge a lofty price for a ‘table wine’ without a DOC sticker, so this sensational wine arrives on your table at a price that’s nothing short of very good.

Section (b). This is the best bottling Alessio Dorigo has made so far and that’s saying something! It's a glorious mouthful of richly upholstered fruit that imitates Amarone in every respect, except the alcohol isn’t 17% (the average for Amarone), but a much more drinkable 14.5%. The colour is a deep, velvety crimson and the flavours are big and bold, but it cleverly manages to feel sleek and focused, because Alessio is a genius. We had a bottle that was cool from the cellar and that temperature worked well, adding a brightness to the inky black fruits, but as it warmed up it became even more expressive, bringing out cocoa dusting, orange fondant and violet notes. If you could make wine from molten chocolate then it would taste something like this. As the tannins are so smooth and velvety, you can actually drink it on its own, preferably beside a roaring fire in a ski chalet, but, failing that, it would go brilliantly with a cheese course or even chocolate desserts. 14.5% alc. Drink now-2029.

Press review:

Jancis Robinson: “Amarone style, made from sun-dried grapes, but not allowed to be Friuli DOC because of the higher-than-regulation residual sugar. Refosco. Quite a tapestry of orange zest and Christmas cake, cardamom and chilli pepper and mint. Wonderfully rich yet shot through with candied orange-peel brightness. Dense structure. Long and mouth-filling and broad and glorious. I'd take this over Amarone any day because at 14.5% it's not going to knock me sideways with one glass. Perfect aged-cheddar wine. Good Value. Drink 2018-2026.” 17 points

Luca Maroni: “Its combination of texture, suppleness and authenticity make it a true champion.” 95 points

Customer comments:

”The first batch was greatly appreciated by friends and family – and hence the latest, larger order!” - Mr J.V.

“OMG, thé Dorigo! Wow.” - Mrs. V.J.

“It’s absolutely incredible! Just wonderful. It’s so rich in flavour and so smooth. An extraordinary find.” - Mr. A.R.

”it’s absolutely delicious” - Mr. E. B.

“Just a note to say thank you for the Dorigo and your previous recommendation of Patritti Chardonnay. Two outstanding recommendations.” - Mr. P. P.

”I’ve sampled the Dorigo and it is a treat. It needs a while to open up but then it is stunning – not what you’d expect from an NV! Superb value when you think what a top notch Amarone costs.” - Mr J.W.

”Wow! Sumptuous yet silky, and intense but still lively and full of fruit. We had it with a rich (vegan) mushroom lasagna, with more than a hint of truffle, and they sang in utterly perfect harmony. It was pure joy. At this price, it's stupendous.” - Mr A.T.

”I drank a bottle, yesterday evening , with an old friend. Had he not been driving, I am certain that we would have moved onto a second.... In fact, I have had a text from him this morning extolling its virtues(!) -one of the smoothest, fullest wines he has ever drunk.” - Mr. T.M.

”The wine was wonderful.” - Mr. J.C.

”Tried the wine and it is all you said it would be. Excellent.” - Mr. T.K.

”We had dinner with friends, the wine was discussed, we had a bottle of Dorigo and a bottle which had cost in excess of £100. Everybody present agreed they preferred the Dorigo - enough said.” - Mr. I.K.

"Very impressed with the Dorigo, James. Brought out the oohs and aaahs from our dinner party guests without any prompting." - Mr. T.D.

"Wow!" - Mr. M.W.

”Do you have any more of the Dorigo? It's great!” - Mr. J. P.

"Stunning for the price." - Mr B.A.

"Big fan of the Plane Turning Right and the Dorigo. Yumbo!" - Mr D.C.

"I did enjoy the Dorigo a lot!" - Mr. A.S.

"We had our first taste of the Dorigo Rosso last night and thought it was wonderful. Do you have any bottles left?" - Ms K.S.

"What a beautiful wine. I love it!" - Mrs J.H.

"Btw. Had the Dorigo yesterday. Wow that was nice." - Mrs M.E.

"I don't suppose there's any of this left? I love it!" - Mr. B.F.

"We really liked the Dorigo you recommended last time" - Mr J.B.

"The Dorigo is lovely." - Ms H.S.

"Any chance of you getting more Dorigo? Just drinking our last bottle. Really great!" - Mr J.C.

"Everyone really enjoyed the Dorigo, even my wife who 'doesn't like Italian wine'. Do you have any left?" - Mr. B.W.

"We were impressed! Can we have a case please?" - Mr P.J.

"It was sublime!!!" - Mr. D.L.

"We love it so much...please can we have a full case?" - Ms. A.B.

”Just having a bottle - delicious, a great choice, thank you.” - Mr. A.F.

”We enjoyed the Dorigo from last order so much that had to secure another case immediately.” - Mr. T.K.