A recent trip to the Costa Blanca brought home how good the wines from that part of Spain really are. As long-term subscribers to the school of thought that there is much more to Spanish wine than Rioja, we have championed the country’s ‘smaller’ regions for a while. Al Muvedre is the work of genius producer Telmo Rodriguez whose work over the last thirty years has been to showcase Spain’s ‘forgotten’ wines. Monastrell - or Mouvedre- from its heartland in Alicante, this is a vibrant, expressive red full of dark fruit and spice.

Another wine from another unacclaimed wine region, this time from historic Basilicata in the South of Italy. A blend of Fiano and Greco, two of Southern Italy’s most important varieties, ‘Pipoli’ is a beautifully aromatic wine that shines with tropical fruit flavours and a delightful freshness. Made with grapes from vineyards on the volcanic slopes of Mount Vulture, 800 metres above sea level ‘Pipoli’ is a great example of the exciting, expressive wines from this largely unheralded, mountainous part of the country.