Ever since 2020, The Cycling Podcast and Dvine Cellars of London have joined forces and united passions to offer a liquid accompaniment to our listeners’ Grand Tour experience. This year – after months of discussions and a highly contentious tasting session in March – we again settled on six bottles that hopefully represent the geography and the spirit of the upcoming Giro d’Italia. The name of the case – the Selezione Simpatica – is a nod to our great leader, Richard Moore. The wines themselves are surprising, unconventional and – with apologies to Richard and his time-honoured tasting notes – a little more than 'nice'. In this episode Daniel dives deeper with Greg Andrews and Luciana Girotto of Dvine Cellars.

(Please enjoy in moderation). A percentage of the proceeds from every sale will go to a cause chosen by Richard’s family.

The full line-up of wines (in Giro route order), with tasting notes from Dvine Cellars, is as follows: 

Hungary's most popular white grape for dry wines with a long, cool, flint minerality. Aged for six months in new oak barrels, rounding the acidity. Pair with fish and buttery, creamy sauces with mushrooms. 

The 'pinot' of Mount Etna. Bright fresh summer fruits are tempered with a volcanic mineral influence making this a delightful savoury wine.

100% Montepulciano, 100% guts, blood, sweat and tears. Intense aromas of game and hoisin sauce carry to the supple, polished, full-bodied palate. This is a rich red.

A sparkling purply-red wine with hints of raspberry. It is dry, fresh and savoury, with a pleasant effervescence on the palate. Grab some mortadella and charcuterie!

Packed with surprisingly ripe fruit flavours of lychee, white peach and candied lemon, the enchanting Doi Raps has so much character. The ripe fruit is joined by white flowers in bloom and a tingling, mineral finish. It's not very often you find such ripe flavours in this cool growing area of North-East Italy

 All red fruits, flowers and soft sweet spices, this is one of the most enjoyable and smashable reds you will see from this region. And it's great value to boot.

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