So back to where the air is clear, the grapes are ripe and the wine is fresh. A little pear and apple on the nose, a hint of cloves and maybe rosemary at the back; but only a hint, a crisp hint, this is a delicious, nicely turned out wine, its neither bland nor bells and whistles. It hits the spot, the spot being a lovely rounded luncheon white setting a skip in the step and a hopeful thought in the heart. Believe us, there really is the faint aroma of sophistication hovering around the glass rim here. 

Vivallis varietals have become benchmarks for us. They are clean and uncluttered examples of their mother grapes. There is no mucking about, no oak, no over extraction. For such a young winemaker……. has a very old head. No running up flags or show- boating, just expressions of outstandingly clear fruit. If you were to visit the Agris valley near Roveretto where the majority of the Vivallis grapes are grown you’d perhaps get a feel for the wines. Tidy, well ordered rows of vines, looked after by aficionados who work elsewhere in the week and go out in the evenings and on weekends to tidy, prune, coddle and encourage the best from their family small holdings. This process has been going on for generations and the products are worth the effort and the calm common sense. These are northern Italians in the foothills of the Dolomites, Austriais not far. It can be chilly even in May and they’re awfully well organised.