Coste del Vivo Rosso No. 1, Tuscany, Italy

Coste del Vivo is the personal project of winemaker Toby Owen. From managing a wine shop in Scotland 20 years ago, to a few stints as a winemaker in Montalcino, he became inspired to make something of his own, and what a beauty it is!

Rosso No. 1 is a blend of predominantly Sangiovese, with roughly equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and a small amount of the indigenous varieties Pugnitello and Ciliegiolo. The wine is matured for around 24 months in a mix of old oak barrels and large format bottles before being finished for a year in concrete. The end result is a medium-bodied red wine with fascinating aromas and flavours of blood orange, pomegranate, graphite, tea leaves and leather.

As Matthew Jukes puts it, imagine a flavour amalgam of Bordeaux, Chianti, Brunello Di Montalcino and Chinon and then give it a little age and also some well-seasoned oak, and you have a flavour that twists and turns on the palate triggering every taste bud imaginable.