Wine of the week: a fascinating and memorable Italian red

published 3 April 2020

2018 Lagrein, Tramin, Alto Adige, Italy

First the facts to set the scene for this remarkable wine. Cantina Tramin was founded in 1898 and it has 310 member winegrowers who stick rigidly to its carefully tuned vine-growing mantra. With 260 hectares of vineyards, situated at between 250 and 850 metres altitude, the fruit resource here is nothing short of incredible.

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In 2011, this remarkable cooperative totted up its 20th Tre Bicchieri award in the Gambero Rosso, which means that this is one of Italy’s most elite wineries despite it being a name that only the most committed of Italian wine lovers would have come across over here.

Most famous for its crystalline white wines, in particular the extraordinary Stoan (£20.49, Strictlywine.co.uk), a mind-expanding chardonnay, sauvignon, pinot blanc and gewürztraminer blend, I have picked a shockingly pure lagrein this week, which will be sure to cement this winery’s skills in your taste memory for ever.

Simply fermented in steel tanks and cement vats and then given the briefest time in a variety of oak barrels to add a sprinkling of spicy seasoning, what I adore about this wine is the accuracy and richness of the flavour. Every single thing I crave about the fascinating and memorable lagrein grape is in the glass. With only 12.5% alcohol onboard and a massive amount of slick liquorice and blackberry fruit, I know that you will fall under this wine’s spell in just one sip.

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

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Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.