m58 – Visiting Spanish wineries around areas of Montsant, Priorat, Terra Alta, Navarra, La Rioja, and Ribera del Duero, evaluating offers, planning one selection for import & distribution.

m57 – Favourite Wines has got available in the UK one additional wine from the France area Côtes du Rhône. Other French wines available for delivery are the Bordeaux from Fronsac, Médoc, and Saint-Émilion areas, and the Côtes de Gascogne Sauvignon Blanc. For information on price and service to send a message.

m55 – Company profile at this webpage https://x.com/Favourite_Wines will co-host all future monthly updates.

m54 – The first coming import from EU after Brexit has been cleared through customs in May.

m53 – New on-trade / off-trade pages on website at https://www.fw.wine

m51 – The New World's wines from Argentina and USA have arrived in the UK. The Zinfandel from California winery Balletto Vineyards, the Malbec and the Pinot Noir from renowned winemaker Diego Rosso of Mendoza are available for delivery from March.

Langhe is a hilly area to the south and east of Tanaro River in the region of Piemonte. Part of Langhe, including Roero are part of UNESCO World’s Heritage list. The main red grapes are Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Freisa, Merlot and Pinot Nero. The main white varieties are Arneis and Favorita in Roero area, Chardonnay and Sauvignon in most areas. Alba is the home of magnificent, elegant wines like Barolos and Barbarescos, also produces great Dolcettos and Barberas, even Chardonnay makes very elegant white wines in this region. Nebbiolo grape in Roero makes intense, spicy wines with great fruit character and sweet tannins. Wine descriptions BARBERA D’ALBA SUPERIORE has ruby red colour; smell is fruity and characteristic and can deliver some oaky notes; taste is dry, sapid, and harmonious. LANGHE ROSATO has pink or light ruby red colour; smell is characteristic, subtle, and delicate; taste is dry or mild, velvety, and harmonious. LANGHE ARNEIS PASSITO has gold, amber to intense amber colour; smell is intense, complex, may carry oaky notes; taste is sweet, velvety, and harmonious. NEBBIOLO D’ALBA colour is ruby red moving to garnet; smell is fruity and characteristic; taste is dry, velvety, and harmonious. NEBBIOLO D’ALBA SUPERIORE is ruby red colour, moving to garnet; smell is fruity and characteristic, may have oaky notes; taste is dry, velvety, and harmonious. ROERO ARNEIS colour is straw-yellow; smell is delicate, fresh and may have some oaky notes; taste is neat and graceful, harmonious, eventually tannic. ROERO and ROERO RISERVA colour is ruby red or garnet; smell is fruity, characteristic and may carry oaky notes; taste is dry, substantial, harmonious, eventually tannic.

ALPI RETICHE wines are produced within 37 municipalities in the province of Sondrio. ROSSO DI VALTELLINA and VALTELLINA SUPERIORE are wines made of minimum 90% of Nebbiolo Chiavennasca grape variety in the mountainous shores of Adda up to 700 meters of altitude asl. SFORZATO DELLA VALTELLINA, produced within the area, must be made using withered grapes which must lose about 30% in volume of water contained in fruit. Alpi Retiche, Rosso di Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore and Sforzato di Valtellina share geography and history. Valtellina is in Sondrio province to the north of Garda Lake between 46 and 46.5 parallels. The area in unique for cultivation of Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) because of five factors: 1. The valley is longitudinal to the mountain range, so vineyards are facing south; 2. To the north and to the east the valley is protected by Rhaetic Alpine range, which is all above 3’000 meters and some peaks arrive beyond 4’000; 3. To the south the Orobie Alpine range closes the “amphitheatre”; 4. Proximity to basin of Como lake, which regulates and mitigates temperature; 5. Viticulture stays on the Rhaetian crests with southern exposure, between 300 and 700 meters asl. This territorial setting provides constant ventilation, considerable lighting, high thermal gradient, low rates (65 to 80%) of air humidity. Dry walls have an estimate length of 2’500 Km (1’550 miles) and this factor increments the irradiation effect which allows an increment of +4 to +5°C during the day in the terracing and a greater temperature range between day and night. Soil of Valtellina is mostly sandy (about 70%), silty (18%), without limestone. It is flaking granite rock, very permeable, with poor water retention [14]. Due to its challenging environment, viticulture in Valtellina is difficult, let us say "heroic"[8]. Origin of viticulture in Valtellina dates to the Roman era when the terracing was already in maintenance, although earliest civilizations like the ones of Etruscans and Ligurians might already being doing it before. Rationalization of viticulture happened in 10th and 11th centuries due to Maestri Comacini and Benedictine monks; records say Saint Ambrose Monastery in Milan used to own several plots of vine on the Rhaetic versant. During almost three centuries (1550 to 1797) Valtellina was controlled by the Grey League belonging to the Swiss government which increased the export of the Valtellina wine in northern countries, being there appreciated. [14]. Wine descriptions ALPI RETICHE ROSSO colour is ruby red; smell is fresh and fruity; taste is savoury, slightly tannic. VALTELLINA ROSSO colour is ruby red, eventually with garnet contours; smell is delicate, persistent, characteristic; taste is dry, slightly tannic, eventually with oaky flavours. VALTELLINA SUPERIORE colour is ruby red tending to garnet; smell is characteristic, persistent, fine, and pleasant; taste is dry and slightly tannic, velvety, harmonic and characteristic; minimum alcohol content is 12%. SFORZATO DI VALTELLINA colour is ruby red eventually with garnet contours; smell is intense, with scents of ripe fruit, wide; taste is very silky, dry, structured and characteristic, eventually with oaky flavours; minimum alcohol content is 14%. [14]. [14] Winemaking normative requirements, up-to-date. www.inao.gouv.fr www.politicheagricole.it

LAZIO wine area of production is within the territory of Lazio administrative region. Limits to yields per hectare, to enhance wine intensity, are set in 21 tonnes for white, 20 for red and rosé, 10 for passito, 14 for late harvest. Minimum alcohol content is 10% for white, rosé, and red wines. Lazio geographically is made of three great morphological and geological units: coastal part, hills of volcanic districts, and Apennine mountain range. Lazio territory is mostly hilly (54%), only 20% is flat land and the residual 26% is mountainous. In Lazio there are three main groups of soil: ancient sedimentary that are mostly limestone rocks, in the mountain ranges; recent sedimentary, mostly marls in the hills and flat lands; then volcanic soils, made of yellowish sands and grey clays. Average heigh of vineyards is between 20 and 1’000 meters asl, exposed towards south and south-west. Climate of the region can be divided in temperate, which characterises mountains and high hills, and Mediterrean, which characterizes hills and flat land until the Tirreno coast. Historically vine cultivation in the region is present since very ancient times; Romans developed the cultivation of the vine initially learning it from the Etruscans, since by the times of the early history of Rome. Traditionally, the best wines in Lazio are produced in areas which are the most adapted for viticulture, like hills and volcanic soils or red earths. Lazio is thus one of the most ancient wine regions in Italy. In the end of the19th century (1883) a research found that as much as 200 grape varieties were cultivated in municipalities of Lazio. [14]. Wine description LAZIO BIANCO colour is yellow, sometime tending to gold or to greenish; smell is intense and fruity; taste is typical, dry, savoury. LAZIO ROSSO colour is ruby red, tending to garnet in ageing; smell is complex, fruity; taste is harmonic, typical. [14] Winemaking normative requirements, up-to-date. www.inao.gouv.fr www.politicheagricole.it

Friuli Venezia Giulia is considered one of Italy's most prestigious winemaking regions. This is above all true regarding its white wines [1]. FRIULI ISONZO wines can be produced in the province of Gorizia within 21 municipalities. Friuli Isonzo geographically is located on the oriental part of Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in Gorizia province. The territory is a sort of plateau, which hosts river Isonzo, degrades towards Adriatic Sea and it is made of alluvial soil as well as the ones originated by the movement of glaciers from Giulie Alps. The plateau is an “open window” for the colder winds from the Balcans in the east and from the warmer winds from the Sea in the south, the latter prevailing. The cooler area is between Gorizia and Cormons and the warmer is between Gradisca d’Isonzo, Romans and Mariano. Friuli Isonzo history was early influenced by the proximity to Aquileia, the most important city in the region at Roman times, as recorded in 77 CE by Pliny the Elder who described the wine produced in the area as characterized by the presence of the Sea breeze. The relevance of the Isonzo area in wine history became clear in 19th century both because of relationship with Austrian Empire technical knowledge and Intereuropean commercial presence, and because of Louis Pasteur who established himself there for a while to help carrying on studies on viticultural diseases. In 1891 Gorizia hosts the IV Austrian Enology Congress which had phylloxera as one main topic and so the event appeared to be the first true “world congress” for the enology sector. Since the ‘70s and the ‘80s we can see a change in the concept of Isonzo wine, moving from a product for local consumption into something more interesting; to realize this design great help came from a new generation of winemakers that put their focus on quality of production. Now their association, founded in 1966, includes 90 producers which pursue this philosophy of fine wine, that nevertheless led in following decades of increasingly greater acknowledgments. [14]. Wine description CHARDONNAY colour is straw yellow in different intensities; smell is delicate, characteristic, pleasant; taste is dry, velvety, silky, harmonic; minimum alcohol content is 11%; MALVASIA colour is straw yellow; smell is pleasant; taste is dry, delicate; pleasant; minimum alcohol content is 10.5%. PINOT GRIGIO colour is straw yellow, eventually with coppery hues; smell is characteristic, pleasant; taste is dry, harmonic, pleasant, characteristic. RIESLING colour is straw yellow; smell is fairly intense and characteristic, delicate, pleasant; taste is dry, fairly bodied, harmonic, characteristic, pleasant. SAUVIGNON colour is light golden yellow; smell is characteristic; taste is dry, bodied, velvety, pleasant. FRIULANO colour is between straw and golden yellow, tending to citrusy; smell is delicate and pleasant, characteristic; taste is dry, warm, full, has a slightly aromatic background. [14]. [1] Cernilli, Daniele (2017). "The Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine 2018". Doctor Wine by Daniele Cernilli. ISBN 978-88-941075-1-8 [14] Winemaking normative requirements, up-to-date. www.inao.gouv.fr www.politicheagricole.it

Franciacorta are wines made exclusively by secondary fermentation in bottle and disgorgement, with Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, Erbamat grapes, in Brescia province. Direct pressing (no destemming) is mandatory but for Pinot Nero in Rosé. Minimum refinement is 18 months, 30 for Satèn Millesimato, 60 for Franciacorta Riserva. Franciacorta area is enclosed within rocky hills to the east, Lake Iseo shores and foothills of Rhaetic Alps to the north, Oglio river to the west and Orfano mount to the south. Vines had grown spontaneously since prehistorical times; afterwards, viticulture was brought forward mostly by monks in monasteries operating soil remediations on “duty-free” basis, “francae-curtes” in latin, hence the name. The boundaries described in today’s norm for production were set by the duke of Venice Francesco Foscari in 1429. The landscape has great variability noticeable in the making of cuvees, because of various maturity profiles. Normally, Franciacorta are rich in delicate notes of citric and dried fruit (almond, hazelnut, white fig). There are six main soil profiles: “thin moraine”, returns complexity and veg-spicy notes; “thin deposits”, returns flowery notes; “fluvial-glacier”, returns dry-fruit notes; “deep moraine”, returns intense dry-fruit and veg-spicy notes; “distal colluvi” and “stepped colluvi”, like deep moraine but with diverse levels of acidity, productivity, and maturations. The firsts historical records of local “biting” wines date back 1570 by medical doctor G. Conforti, describing them in a way resembling some of the great intuitions abbot Dom Perignon experienced later. [14]. Wine description FRANCIACORTA foam is fine and intense (persistent, and creamy for the Satèn), straw-yellow to golden colour; delicate, ample, complex smell with refermentation notes; it has sapid, fresh, fine, and harmonious taste. Riserva might have coppery hues and more complex smell. [14] [14] Winemaking normative requirements, up-to-date. www.inao.gouv.fr www.politicheagricole.it

RAVENNA is a city and a Province in Emilia-Romagna region. In this area, soil used for viticulture are either clayey or free-clayey-silty, with a good presence of limestone, sub-alkaline and draining. A good area for viticulture is the one adjacent to the Adriatic coast, where soils have also a yellow-sand component. Wine are characterized by good texture and interesting smell. Since the end of the ’80 we see progressive diffusion of grassing in vineyards, which helps in managing quality production in hilly than in plain soils. [14]. The vineyards of Sangiovese, Trebbiano and Albana are an indication that you are in Romagna [...]. The best Sangiovese wines from this subzone are from the hills south of the Via Emilia and hold their own against the best Italian reds. [...] Under this umbrella is a new DOC Romagna [...] and then there is an Albana di Romagna that is DOCG [1]. ALBANA DI ROMAGNA represents a unique terroir of Italy. Since roman times, Albana vine is cultivated in this area only. That is because of a unique geological formation which is called “Spungone” and it is characterised, among other things, by yellowish sands. Due to the long tradition of cultivation of this grape in the area, it may come in different typologies, from “Secco” (dry) to Passito (sweet) Riserva. Albana typical varietal note recalls the sage, which can be matched by fruity notes, particularly apricot. [14]. Wine descriptions RAVENNA FAMOSO colour is straw-yellow, variably intense; smell is intense, with a satisfactory range of floral to fruity notes, linked to vineyard, aromatic notes are perceivable; taste can be dry or mild, variously acidic, sapid. RAVENNA CENTESIMINO colour is ruby red; smell is vinous with notes of variably matured fruits sometimes alongside with floral notes, often of violet, and spicy notes, expressive of vineyard, typical is note of rose; taste ranges from dry to mild, depending on acidity of the grape, it has good tenure of sapidity and fullness. ROMAGNA ALBANA SECCO colour is straw-yellow conducive to gold-yellow for aged ones; smell is light and characteristic of Albana grape; taste is dry, a bit tannic, warm, and harmonious. [14]. [1] Cernilli, Daniele (2017). "The Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine 2018". Doctor Wine by Daniele Cernilli. ISBN 978-88-941075-1-8 [14] Winemaking normative requirements, up-to-date. www.inao.gouv.fr www.politicheagricole.it