Tuscany Report 2008

Earlier this month we travelled to Tuscany to visit our wine supplier Villa Pillo at Gambassi Terme (http://www.villapillo.com/) to check out the recent vintage and taste some new wines. It looks like 2008 will turn out to be another good year with a healthy balance of quantity and quality. Estate Manager Pamela Trassinelli told us that they had enjoyed exceptional heat throughout the summer and virtually all their grapes were picked before the September rains arrived. We tasted (the last bottle of) an experimental Sauvignon Blanc 2007 which was very gentle and understated and we shall look forward to adding the '08 version to our list next year. We also enjoyed seeing the grapes drying as part of the process of producing Vin Santo. We also visited Badia a Coltibuono (http://www.coltibuono.com/) and Volpaia (http://www.volpaia.it/), currently estates with representation on our list, and we're speaking with Rampa di Fugnano about the possibility of importing some of their wines too. So, all in all, a successful and interesting visit.

The Cross at Kingussie
Restaurant with Rooms
www.thecross.co.uk