The true love of wine is a love of people, cultures, landscapes and their history. It is a desire to drink the inner meaning of things, without damaging the planet. Good merchants understand this and help us to subsidise reputable people, living in settled ways, in places they love, without troubling them with a visit. This was what Ben and Emma Robson had in mind when they dropped everything and went with their two small daughters to Italy, there to explore the byways of the Colli Euganei, to the west of Padua, and to acquire the expertise required to run their mail-order business back home. If, like me, you appreciate the wonderful volcanic landscapes of north-east Italy, while having not the slightest intention to visit them except in the glass, then you should make contact with Bat & Bottle Wine Merchants, which operates out of Oakham, Leicestershire.
Italian wine is of two kinds: that prepared for foreign morons and distributed through chain stores, and that which must be hunted down by those with love in their hearts and time on their hands. The wines discovered by the Robsons are of the second kind. Their flavours are Italian and their quality fully explains why their growers are so reluctant to release them on to the global market. Our encounter with the Robsons' list helped us through the horror of Christmas until the thank-you letters had been written and the toys were all on the fire.
Inevitably attracted to an estate with the name of Le Volpi, we opened the 1999 Cabernet Franc-Carmenere blend half-expecting a musky whiff of fox scent. We were at once surrounded and captivated by a fruity, claret-like aroma, as the dark, damson-coloured liquid filled the glass. At £9.50 a bottle, this is a match for any claret at that price. A catalogue photo of the vineyards of Le Volpi, with a view across to the Arqua' Petrarca, shows conclusively that it would be such a crime to open this place to the tourist trade that we are under an obligation to drink its spirit at home.
One of the Robsons' greatest discoveries comes from a region we associate with plonk: the Valpolicella. Most Valpolicella is made from grapes left over after the best have been set aside for drying, before being made into Amarone. The Robsons' Casal Vegri 1998 is from an old family estate that makes real Valpolicella from the best grapes, and reveals how wonderful this wine can be. If you think that champagne is an overrated drink for overrated people, you should celebrate your next divorce with Prosecco, of which the Robsons have excellent examples. Rather than describe all the wonders that these serendipitous travellers have brought home with them, however, I urge you to visit them yourself (www.batwine.com).
