We were invited to a wine tasting at Vineyards Direct and sadly couldn’t go since they’re always both enjoyable and educational. However, our daughter went and returned with a recommendation. We followed it, and due to a mix up, ended up with four crates instead of two. Vecchio Sogno (Old Dream) was tasted and tested by 43 dinner guests last weekend and was appreciated by all so I feel relatively safe in passing the recommendation on.

This was her report:

The tasting was fun to go to and I tried to taste as many reds as possible.

My favourite, which actually was more reasonably priced than the others, was the Tenuta Giustini, ‘Vecchio Sogno’ Negroamaro from Puglia 2012 – it was spicy, woody and powerful. Not a mellow wine, but very drinkable and would hold its own with spicier foods. It was £9.95 a bottle, £119.40 a case.

I liked the Bindi Sergardi wines, but wasn’t sure they were worth the price. The Chianti Classico ‘La Ghirlanda’ from Tuscany 2012 was probably the best value. The Chianti Classico Riserva ‘Caledonia’ 2011 had the edge on ‘La Ghirlanda’ but only very marginally and was more expensive. The ‘Simbioso’ IGT Toscana 2011 was probably my favourite, but tasted like a French wine (it was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), just not quite as good, and at £19.95 a bottle I thought it was overpriced compared to the French wines.

At the end I was also recommended a white wine, which I thought was very good – it tasted a little of lemon and honey and was a very light refreshing drink for the summer. It was the Tenuta Giustini Fiano ‘Iluiminato’ from Puglia 2012 and also £9.95/£119.40.