Highlights: Waitrose Loved and Found Albarossa 2020 Piedmont, Italy

This is interesting. It’s part of the affordable Loved and Found range from Waitrose, focusing on lesser known varities and regions. This is from a grape variety created in 1938 as a cross between Barbera and an old French variety called Chatus. The result, Albarossa, was first commercialised in 1977 but hasn’t really taken off and there are just 10 hectares of it. This is made for Waitrose by Mondelvino SPA in Priocca. More people should plant this variety!

Waitrose Loved and Found Albarossa 2020 Piedmont, Italy
13% alcohol
£8.99 Waitrose
This is juicy and tart with lovely redcurrant and cherry fruit, but also some soft tannins and lovely depth. It’s all about fruit, with some sweetness at its core but also a bit of tannic crunch, and if you look hard enough you get some spice, pepper and tar savouriness. Very expressive and full of joy, there’s a lot to like about this wine, not least its exceptional value for money. 91/100