White Merlot ‘The Italian Job’ 2019, Meinert

This is an utterly delicious white that tastes very much like barrel-fermented Chardonnay – perhaps from Burgundy. It is rich and sumptuous, with creme anglaise, pineapple, butter and delicate wood character. Intense, with a sustained, flavoursome finish. The wine’s story makes it even more fascinating. When visiting friends in Zurich, Martin Meinert was introduced to a white wine made with Merlot grapes from Ticino – the southern, Italian, part of Switzerland. He loved it so much that he resolved to make one himself, with fantastic results. (How to make a white wine with black grapes? Press promptly, and keep the juice and the skins separate to prevent the latter from tinting the former.)