Wine of the week: a simply sublime nebbiolo
With one of the most regal and plush palates imaginable, this is a vinous work of art.
2016 Marchesi Alfieri, Costa Quaglia Nebbiolo, Piemonte, Italy
(£28, Decorum Vintners, 020-8969 6581, decvin.com)
I have long been a fan of Barbera d’Asti La Tota from the exceptional Marchesi Alfieri estate and the new 2018 vintage is a stunner (£18.95, decvin.com). In fact, this wine has kept me so satiated over the years that I have never ventured further into this starry portfolio. That was until a few weeks ago when I opened a bottle of 2016 Costa Quaglia and it was a eureka moment like no other in this lockdown year. I will remember this revelation as the strongest thread of nebbiolo connecting me to the region that I was prevented from visiting in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
With one of the most regal and plush palates imaginable, but one which takes a full hour to unravel in a decanter, this is a vinous work of art. Firm, dark and dusty when first opened, the velvety fruit starts to appear and then gathers unstoppable momentum, smoothing out and eventually hypnotising your senses. The blackberry, black-cherry and rose-petal notes are sublime and the pliant, generous texture is sheer heaven. Aged for 15 months in 500-litre and two-year-old Allier barriques, it is this careful selection of both feisty and mellow oak which is the reason why this sumptuous nebbiolo is so decadent and also so refined. I bet if you were served it blind, you would stick a sky-high price tag on its flavour – I certainly would.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)
-
‘Sandwich generation’ carers losing £6,000 a year to support elderly relativesMiddle-aged adults are often caught between caring for children or grandchildren and their elderly parents, leaving them taking time out of the workforce and facing a huge hit to wages while they are still trying to save for retirement. We look at the true cost of caring.
-
Ground rents to be capped at £250 a year – what does it mean for you?The government has published draft legislation which would see ground rents capped at £250 per year for leaseholders. We examine what it means for homeowners and the housing market.
-
Review: Gundari, a luxury hotel in the Greek island of FolegandrosNicole García Mérida stayed at Gundari, a luxurious hotel on Folegandros, one of the lesser-known islands in the southern Cyclades in Greece
-
Fine-art market sees buyers returnWealthy bidders returned to the fine-art market last summer, amid rising demand from younger buyers. What does this mean for 2026?
-
Review: Castiglion del Bosco, A Rosewood Hotel – a Tuscan rural idyllTravel Play golf, drink exquisite wine and eat good food at Castiglion del Bosco, A Rosewood Hotel, all within the stunning Val d’Orcia National Park in Tuscany
-
Review: A cultural tour of North IndiaTravel Jessica Sheldon explores North India's food and art scene from three luxurious Leela Palace hotels in New Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur
-
The best luxury saunas, spas and icy plungesRestore your mind and body with luxury fire and ice experiences, from warming saunas to icy plunges
-
8 of the best properties for sale with indoor gymsThe best properties for sale with indoor gyms – from a four-storey mews house in London’s Knightsbridge, to a 1920s Arts & Crafts house in Melbury Abbas, Dorset
-
8 of the best houses for sale with beautiful fireplacesThe best houses for sale with beautiful fireplaces – from a 15th-century cottage in Kent to a 17th-century palazzo in Oxfordshire
-
The top last-minute Christmas giftsIt’s not too late to give the perfect present this festive season – we round up a selection of last-minute Christmas gifts worth giving
