2010 Cometa, Planeta, Sicily, Italy (approx. £23.50, www.greatwesternwine.co.uk, www.slurp.co.uk, Majestic, Handford tel. 020 7589 6113, Selfridges tel. 0800 123 400, The Wine Shop at Harrods tel. 020 7730 1234, Villeneuve Wines tel. 01721 722500, D Byrne tel. 01200 423 152). I went to a restaurant called Zucca in Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 (tel. 020 7378 6809) the other day and enjoyed one of the best lunches I can remember. The food was outstanding, incredibly fresh, not too dear and not too filling. The wine list was exceptionally well chosen and very good value (I can spot a naughty margin a mile off). We slooshed down a bottle of Soave La Rocca Pieropan to kick off and then I hit upon the idea of choosing wines from estates that are featured in my forthcoming wine book which focuses on my favourite 100 Iconic Estates of the world. Suffice to say that this restaurant had enough great wines, from my kind of wineries, to keep us amused all afternoon – high praise indeed. Without giving too much away, our second white was Cometa, a succulent, lusty, decadent and stunningly oaked Fiano made by Sicily’s most famous trailblazing estate. It is an awe-inspiring wine made in the shape of a top flight white Burgundy. You ought to drink it at Zucca, but if you can’t then make sure that you have some at home – it is world class.
