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)
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.
Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin.
As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.
-
Was Margaret Thatcher great for Britain?
The 'Iron Lady’ would be celebrating her 100th birthday this month. Margaret Thatcher rose to power in 1979 as the first ever female prime minister and was one of the most controversial leaders in history, but how did her policies shape today’s finances?
-
Pierre-Édouard Stérin wants to make France great again
Conservative billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin is seeking to lead a political and spiritual renaissance across the Channel. The planning looks meticulous
-
Pinewood Technologies: a drive for growth
Pinewood Technologies’ platform is one of the best in the business. Investors should buy in
-
'EV maker Faraday Future will crash'
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric is failing dismally to live up to its name, says Matthew Partridge
-
8 of the best houses for sale with follies
The best houses for sale with follies in the grounds – from a five-storey Victorian Gothic tower in Tonbridge, Kent, to a former mill in Oxfordshire with gardens that include a folly on an island in a lake
-
Sotheby’s fishes for art collectors – will it succeed?
Sotheby’s is seeking to restore confidence in the market after landing Leonard Lauder's art collection, including Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer
-
Review: The Lakes by Yoo – luxury living in the Cotswolds
Travel The Lakes by Yoo combines a luxury hotel stay with the convenience of a holiday rental in a gorgeous lakeside setting
-
8 of the best houses for sale with separate accommodation
The best houses for sale with separate accommodation – from a converted 17th-century threshing barn in Monmouthshire, to a Grade II-listed Queen Anne house in North Yorkshire with four apartments in the stable block
-
Review: Bequia Beach Hotel – nostalgic fun in the Caribbean
Travel Bequia Beach Hotel on the island of Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines is a resort with personality that is as luxurious as it is playful
-
8 of the best properties for sale with orangeries
From a converted Victorian Catholic school with a chapel in Kingston Upon Thames to a 12-acre country estate with mature gardens and a lake in Nantwich, Cheshire, we look at some of the best properties for sale with orangeries