Alex F

Oops, my mistake. Trust me when I'm trying to find half bottles ....

Ok, I've found Campaccio 97 at www.everywine.co.uk for £101.87 for a case of 12 (under £9 a bottle) which sounds good to me.

Craig Your answer was correct and consise as usual, it my question that was vague. You’re right of course, Tignanello is the only one that is ‘defined’ by Sangiovese with it’s 80% content, Solaia at 20% and Sassicaia having none at all. The question I was trying to ask was, which of the Tuscan IGT wines offer good value for money when compared with the more pricey ‘Super-Tuscans’? May’s Decanter magazine published a buying guide to Tuscan IGT wines from 1999. Only one received 5 stars, which was the Azienda Agricola Il Lebbio by Polito. However a good number were given 4 stars and ranged from £7.14 for a Testardo from Sensi to a £52.30 bottle of Vigorello from San Felice. Your thoughts...?

Bill - Sorry ! These prices are for two, so looks like your ski-ing trip may be back on!

I wasn't sure whether to post this question or not but here goes..... Tignanello, Sassicaia, Solaia = expensive and over-rated some say !?? So... In terms of non DOC or DOCG wines from Italy, can we suggest some wines that are Sangiovese blends that are in-expensive, widely available and well worth drinking? Not necessarly Tuscan but interesting all the same.

Steve What are they and where can I get one/some? Thanks for your advice by the way.

Does anyone know of any good places to buy good wine in half bottles? Either via the web or by phone.

Have just returned from Cogne, Valle d’Aosta and here’s the low down. Flew to Turin and drove up to Valle d’Aosta. I stayed in a small Hotel in Valnontey very near Cogne. Hotel La Barme Fraz. Valnontey 11012 Cogne Aosta Tel 0039 0165749177 Fax 0039 0165 749213 Email labarme@tiscalinet.it www.hotellabarme.com I found the hotel in ‘Hip Hotels – Italy’ which is book I recommend to everyone who is planning a trip to any region is Italy. La Barme a small family run hotel converted from an old mountain dairy. Lou Ressignon : Cogne €60 Fantastic rustic restaurant in Cogne which was quiet but very welcoming. I started with the Salumi which included Prociutto, Lardo and Mocetta which was all delicious. The wine I had with this was a Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle which was perfectly sharp and went very well with the Antipasti. As a first course I had the Soupetta di Cogne a risotto made with Fontina and rye bread, which I accompanied with a Vallee d’Aoste Donnas which proved to be a perfect match to this and the next course which was a Carbonada – a spicy beef and red wine stew served with polenta. Ristorante Vecchio Ristoro : Via Tourneuve 4 , Aosta €124 Went here for lunch after spending a day wine shopping in Aosta. I had the set Degustazioni menu which I finished off with cheese selection. I had a half bottle of Les Crêtes Chardonnayand then a bottle Costantino Charrère Torrette which for me was the wine of my trip (I brought 6 bottles back with me!). The cheese selection included some Fontina, Reblec, Toma and Tomini. Also went to two Enoteca in Aosta and tried alot of the wines Bill, Peter and Craig recommended. Bill I found the L'Enfer wine - I think it was Enfer D'Arvier which I was told was based on a petite rouge grape and goes well with salumi especially the mocetta. Thank you to everyone who made recommendations, it really helped and I had a great time.

Wow! Thanks Bill, they all sound great. A

I'm going back to Italy in a weeks time, this time Val d'Aosta. Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations? I've got 'Eating in Italy' which has always been quite good but I wondered if anyone had any other gems? Also, Craig are there any wines that I should look out for?

Craig No Tignanello - would that be beause of the Sangiovese or the Cab. Sauvignon grapes? And how good do they have to be, to make the cut?

Craig How can I get the restaurant guides that are mentioned above (not the Michelin guide - not interested in that one, it's not that type of Italian food I go to Italy for.) Is the Slow-Food guide available from Amazon etc or do you have to subscribe? Also is the Rosso one in Italian - sorry if these are dumb questions.

While in NYC last year I found a fantastic Pasta Shop in Little Italy called Piemonte Ravioli Co. on 190 Grand Street. (Tel 212 226 0475). They make many types of dried pasta including Ziti, Fettuccine, Farfelle, Marcaroni. Apart from Pasta from Italia this is the best dried pasta I've found.

Osteria del Fiore I went there last year (2002) and it's still one of the most amazing experiences I've had ... with food! I went there for lunch, because I couldn't get a table in the evening. We were given the table in the bay window overlooking the canal, if you're booking ask for this table specifically. My starter was a Torta de Parmigiano with White Asparagus, which I've tried many times to make and have failed every time. As a Prima I had the Risotto of Porcini Mushrooms and Prawns - Fantastic! Then I had the Soft Shell Crabs - I can't describe this dish but go there and have it.

Craig My favourite Italian cookbooks that I couldn’t be without are:- The Food of Italy – Claudia Roden Sicilian Home Cooking – Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene Cucina Siciliana – Clarissa Hyman And all three of Mario Batali’s books Plus of course Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s book, which is almost a travel guide for me!