Many of you will be aware of Margiottas Food and Drink stores across Edinburgh, and in particular their flagship store on Dundas Street. You might also have noticed that they stock a great selection of wines but did you know that they are sole importers of some incredible producers.

I joined them for their second online virtual wine tasting with Wine Events Scotland to discover their wonderful range of Italian wines from the Dolomites with producer, Mezzacorona and found some absolute corkers that I’ll be popping in my basket time and time again.

Mezzacorona is located in Trentino in Northern Italy which was aptly named “Wine Region of the Year 2020” and is nestled against a stunning backdrop of the Dolomites. It’s a co-operative of over 1500 growers, with 2,600 hectares of Trentino vines, 70% of which are DOCG.

The vines run on trellises as far as Lake Garda and the variety of climates means that Mezzacorona can choose optimum sites for the many different grape varieties they grow. It’s a harsh climate up in this region and they are proud to be pioneers of sustainability, respecting the environment and following organic practices.

They produce wines such as pinot grigio, chardonnay, merlot, teroldego and marzemino.

MARGIOTTA WINES ONLINE WINE TASTING, IN THE FACE OF THE ELEMENTS - WINES FROM THE DOLOMITES

Margiotta have such a wide range of Mezzacorona wines that we start off with the popular Italian Glacial Bubbly which is a fabulously fresh fizz – aptly named.

Then onto the Reserve Pinot Grigio with plenty of character and definitely worth a try!

Onto the reds and since this is an area Mezzacorona are well known for, I try the four which Diana has chosen; the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot which are planted extensively in this region and two more unusual wines, a five year old Teroldego Rotaliano and the much loved Dinotte Red Blend.

The Wines
Mezza Italian Glacial Bubbly – £10.99
Castel Firmian Pinot Grigio Riserva – £10.99
Castel Firmian Merlot – £8.99

Castel Firmian Cabernet Sauvignon – £8.99
Castel Firmian Teroldego Rotaliano – £9.79
Mezzacorona Dinotte – £9.99

The Mezza Italian Glacial Bubbly is a must for an BBQ or picnic. It’s packed with fresh fruits like red apple, pear, white peach, melon and pineapple. Very pleasant with soft persistent bubbles and smooth acidity.

Castel Firmian Pinot Grigio Riserva Trentino DOC 2019 is perfect for fish. It’s a nice clean wine and as 60% of the wine is fermented in new oak barrels, you really pick up on the freshness that comes from the oak. There’s tastes of ripe peaches, camomile and pears. Its elegant, refined with lots of character but lovely and creamy too.

Castel Firmian Merlot Trentino DOC 2018 pair this with a fillet steak or a nice hearty soup. This wine is complex, dry and well structured with big nice rounded tannins and a lovely acidity. Little wonder Merlot is one of the most popular wines in the world.

Castel Firmian Cabernet Sauvignon Trentino DOC 2018 is the wine to pair with gorgeous Scottish cheeses and salty crackers, figs and honey. Intense bouquet leading to wonderful toasty tobacco aromas. It’s quite dry with a full body. Absolute steal at £8.99 a bottle.

Castel Firmian Teroldego Rotaliano DOC 2019 is fantastic if you want to swop your fizz for a red for your Summer BBQ or if you have some incredible Scottish venison for dinner. The wine is packed with blueberries, blackberries, a hint of raspberry plus some vanilla and chocolate for extra measure. A cracking bottle of wine!

Mezzacorona Dinotte Red Blend 2018 is the wine you need when it’s Friday Night Curry Night in the house. This blend expresses the aromatic richness of two varietals, Teroldego and Marzemino, combined Merlot, for elegance and softness. Teroldego, with its profound flavours of red currants, blackberry, and blueberry, provides a full-bodied structure. Marzemino brings a pleasant juicy character that creates a soft, velvety, palate pleasing wine. The Red Blend is balanced with the addition of Merlot to add aromatic notes of vanilla and cocoa. An absolute must try wine!

Margiotta Wines run monthly wine tastings and it’s such a fun way to learn about wines and discover some new ones to love. The wine tastings are BYOB - tickets cost £10 to join and then you can purchase any number of bottles of wine in the tasting line up as you wish ( buy one or buy all six).

Margiotta wines are very reasonably priced with much of their wines available for under a tenner and the bottom two shelves are where you’ll find the Bin Ends; wines that are either small parcels of older vintages of their main wines or wines they’ve managed to get a special offer on, which they’re passing onto you. Some are just a great price, others are discounted by as much as 50% so keep your eye on these!

A great piece of advice from Diana at Wine Events Scotland is “If you don’t recognise the grape, try it!” Most of the time you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Follow Margiotta Wines on their social channels for wine inspiration and information on their monthly wine tastings.

Instagram - www.instagram.com/margiottawine

Twitter - twitter.com/MargiottaWine

Facebook - www.facebook.com/margiottawine

Or visit their website at margiottawine.co.uk