On 23rd November 2009, in the second of a series of tastings at Brown's Hotel, Mayfair, nine Italian wine estates seeking British importers showed an impressive range of their new vintages . The room was packed with leading members of the press and  trade: they were not to be disappointed.

Italy's wine regions

First off, some great sparkling wine from Lombardy- Franciacorta. Located on the banks of Lake Iseo, between Milan and Brescia, this is a prime spot for  subtle classy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that form an ideal base for wines  as fine as good champagne but with an added ripeness and depth of fruit shaped by the  warm but not-too-hot microclimate of the nearby  lake. In 1961, oenologist Franco Ziliani persuaded Guido Berlucchi to create the area's first classic sparkling wine. The Berlucchi Franciacorta Storica '61' is a non-vintage blend, mainly from the outstanding 2006 vintage. Made up of 90 per cent Chardonnay and 10 per cent Pinot Noir, this wine of straw-green hue,  has a soft creamy mousse and scents that combine the freshness of orchard fruits like apple and pear with tropical notes like mango. In the mouth, fresh zesty flavours are finely balanced by a velvety, caressing texture. Its pink brother, the Storica '61' Rosé has much more Pinot Noir in thte blend, giving a generous sparkling wine for a risotto with porcini mushrooms.

Berlucchi also own a fine estate, Caccia al Piano at Castagneto Carducci in the fashionable Bolgheri zone close to Sassicaia on the Tuscan coast. At the Brown's event, I had the chance to re-taste their 2006 Ruit Hora, a judicious 65:25:10 mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah  which had first impressed me on a visit to the estate last June. Of vital purplish tones and ripe.elegant tannins,  it's a red of great class ; the Syrah element is also an inspired finishing touch, adding a not of pepper and mulberry fruitiness. Edoardo Amadi, the distinguished former sommelier, has just started to import the Berlucchi wines through his company, Try Wines (e sales@trywines.co.uk; tel/fax 01635 529136)

Of other estates seeking representation in Britain, two in particular caught my eye. Poggio Bonnelli is located in the southern part of the Chianti Classico zone, a few miles east of Siena on the road to Arezzo. The estate was well known in the Middle Ages and successively owned by several prominent Sienese lords, notably the Piccolomini famly which produced one of the more wordly Renaissance popes, Pius II. The vineyards of Castelnuovo Beradenga produce the richest, ripest red wines of the Classico, quite close in style to the famous Brunellos of Montalcino, 30 miles to the south of Siena. The best Bonnelli wine by far is their Riserva 2006, a marvellous combination of sturdiness and captivating opulence. 100% Sangioves it has been fermented in new oak barrels: the oak is better integrated in this wine  than the Classico normale  which has too woody a flavour.  Pay extra for the Riserva, one of the best chiantis I have tasted this year. Importers should enquire on www.poggiobonelli.it

Sant'Isidoro was the other wine estate I particularly liked. It lies north west of Rome towards the Maremma in the province of Lazio, and about 10 miles from the Tyrennian sea. A family owned concern run by Giovanni Palombi, the vineyards planted by his father, Emadeo, in the 1930s, now cover 57 hectares, planted to both native varieities like Sangiovese and Montepulciano as well as French ones such as Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonnay.The 2007 Corithus is especially attractive, a red in which the native grapes marry very well with Merlot to produce a floral, lithe, red that would match a Roman dish like saltimbocca of veal, then a slice of peccarino cheese perfectly. More info on www.santisidoro.net

Salute!