A zany, paradigm-shifting creation

NV Bolé, Spumante BiancoThis terrific Italian sparkler has a Prosecco-style fizz, but with a knockout flavour and an awful lot more to hang onto.

968_MW_P42_Wine

NV Bol, Spumante Bianco, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

£13.50, reduced to £12.83 each by the case of six bottles and £12.15 each by the case of 12 bottles, Great Western Wine, 01225-322810,

greatwesternwine.co.uk

I am always on the lookout for newly released wines and sometimes I stumble across completely zany, paradigm-shifting creations and I have to do a double-, and in this case a triple-take. Made from trebbiano with a 5% addition of local rarity famoso, this terrific sparkler uses a long and cool secondary fermentation in a tank, as opposed to a bottle, to get the wine to market as fresh and vibrant as possible.

The result is a Prosecco-style fizz, but with an awful lot more to hang onto. The bottle is stunning, the label is energetically colourful and genuinely eye-catching and the flavour is knockout. Crunchy green apple-skin tones lead the way, but it is the subtler notes of lemon blossom and faint jasmine-tea nuance that brings complexity and gravitas to the whole.

New product launches, particularly of wines that are clearly trying to buck the trend, are often disastrous, but this sparkling wine shows that it is possible to upset convention and yet still produce an entirely unexpected but epic and joyous product.

Bol deserves to be admired and tasted by every single person who has ever sipped Italian fizz and I venture that legions will then follow its path. You cannot ignore the price, which is as keen and eye-catching as the superbly designed label!

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

Recommended

The fast-growing success of Britain’s wine industry
Wine

The fast-growing success of Britain’s wine industry

Hotter summers are great for the nation’s winemakers, says Chris Carter. But land for vineyards is selling at a premium – expect to pay up to £25,000 …
25 Aug 2022
Collecting rare whisky: a £16m tipple served with froth
Alternative investments

Collecting rare whisky: a £16m tipple served with froth

The market in rare whisky is looking very bubbly, says Chris Carter, with a 1975 cask of recently selling for £16m.
26 Jul 2022
​​​​​​​2020 Rall: a triumphant syrah
Wine

​​​​​​​2020 Rall: a triumphant syrah

A triumphant incarnation of the syrah grape from one of South Africa’s superstar winemakers.
14 Jun 2022
2021 Akitu: New Zealand’s finest “white” pinot noir
Wine

2021 Akitu: New Zealand’s finest “white” pinot noir

Act without delay to secure this enchanting Kiwi white – there is nothing like it on earth
24 May 2022

Most Popular

5 top UK tech stocks
Investments

5 top UK tech stocks

The UK market has never been considered a fertile hunting ground for tech stars. But there are plenty of promising companies beyond the old economy, s…
23 Mar 2023
Where will house prices go in 2023?
House prices

Where will house prices go in 2023?

We explore what could happen to house prices in 2023 as the market continues to slow down.
24 Mar 2023
Will energy prices go down in 2023?
Personal finance

Will energy prices go down in 2023?

Ofgem’s price cap is now predicted to fall below £2,000, based on average typical use, from July, for the first time since 2022. We have all the detai…
21 Mar 2023