The Epicurious Blogger

ABOVE GENOA and below Italy's economic capital, lies the large region of Oltrepò Pavese (or Old Piemonte). When its borders are traced on a map, it uncannily resembles a cluster of grapes. Like so much of Italy, it is also one home to a dizzy array of varieties.

This '06 Bonarda (in fact the local name for the yokel Croatina) from untraceable producer, Terre Filari is coloured raspberry with purple hints and an intial audio-visual swarm of spritz. On the nose, mushroom, cinammon spice and red fruits juggle outwards. The palate is pleasingly frizzante with a noseful of stirred fresh forest fruit must entering fermentation. Musky, too, like an honest, homemade wine. Eventually an injection of crème Chantilly transpires, followed by a cliffhanger of feint bitterness.

A harmonious, tasty wine from a 'not particularly prestigious appellation' (according to Jancis Robinson OBE). But pleasure does not always need to come at an excessive price.

I would love to try this with breast of squab pigeon encased in crisp pastry with coal dark chocolate sauce.

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I am thinking, masochistically, of again submitting to the Young Wine Writer award. Topics do not exactly tumble to mind, however. I thought about writing a 1500 word piece about being an epicurious blogger. What do readers think?