This cult classic will never be this cheap again
2006 Kepos, Ampeleia, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy (£15.99, Corks Out, 01925-267700,
www.corksout.com
).
I met Elisabetta Foradori years ago on my very first wine-tasting trip to Italy. I visited the far north – Trentino and Alto Adige – and her Teroldego Rotaliano was not only one of the most brilliant wines of the whole tour, but it was also one of the most unique expressions of the terroir there that I have ever tasted.
She was a passionate being and was seen as one of a small band of highly motivated, young, pioneering wine-makers at that time.
Nothing has changed more than a decade on. When I tasted Kepos the other day, and wrote 'inspirational' in my notes, I was not surprised to hear that she and two partners were behind the wine.
It is made in southern Tuscany, not the far north of the country where she resides, and is a unique blend of very young vine grenache, mourvèdre, marselan, Carignano and Alicante. It is one of the most shocking and impressive Italian reds I have tasted in ages.
The Gambero Rosso (a highly respected Italian wine guide) gave Kepos tre bicchieri – its top award. For an eminently affordable wine this is praise indeed. It is set to become a cult classic – it will never be this price again!
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.
