Ever since he saw this 200-year-old tree at Tenuta Le Cave, the holiday property owned by Fasoli Gino in the Veneto, Tom has been almost as excited by olive trees as he is by grape vines.
A good quality olive oil is (almost) as important an addition to the dinner table as a good quality wine; but too often in the UK we have to settle for mass-produced, dilute, water-white oils, the product of irrigated olive trees.
But despair not – a long-time Substrata customer, Kim Hutchins, has imported three organic Italian olive oils that will restore your faith in the category, and we’ll be teaming up with him for our next ticketed tasting.
We’ll be holding this special event at Kim’s workshop in Aylsham, as we enjoy a taste of la dolce vita – oils from Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia, and six wines from across Italy, including Gavi and Barbera from Piemonte, Aglianico from Puglia and the ‘holy wine’ of Tuscany, Vin Santo.
There is ample parking at the venue, and the tasting will conclude in good time to head onwards or homewards for dinner. Places are strictly limited to 15 people, so early booking is recommended.
The lineup:
1) Cantine Orsogna, Pet Nat Pinot Grigio 2022 (12.5% abv; retail price £23)
Skin contact white and orange in colour. Natural sparkling wine. Dry and impressively fizzy, with notes of bitter orange, apricot and roses. No added sulphites
2) Castello di Tassarolo, Ato, Gavi 2022 (12.5%, retail price £22.50)
Natural wine with delicate aromas of grapefruit and pear beneath denser top notes of butter and beeswax. Unusual and arresting. No added sulphites
3) Fattoia di Sammontana, Primo Fuoco Rosato 2022 (13.5% £27)
Fermented in amphora, this blend of Montepulciano and Merlot is a full-bodied but refreshing rosé, with notes of watermelon, plum and green olive
4) Castello di Tassarolo, Monferrato Rosso 2021 (14%, £21)
70% Barbera, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, mineral notes and an almond-y softness. No added sulphites
5) L’Architepo, Aglianico 2014 (13.5%, £25)
Known as ‘the Barolo of the South’ – in this case, Puglia. Medium-bodied, soft, elegant and smooth, with notes of rose petals, cherry and wild strawberry
and
6) Fattoria di Sammontana, Vin Santo 2018 (50cl bottle, 18%, £28)
Natural Vin Santo, with only a tiny sulphite addition, so it’s barely sweet at all. Notes of salted walnuts, orange blossom and fig
