Il Meridione

Set up in 2003, Adria Vini is a winemaking venture jointly owned by Boutinot and Araldica Vini Piemontesi, the leading co-operative in Piemonte. All areas of production, from grape selection through to vinification, maturation, blending and bottling are meticulously overseen by Araldica's Claudio Manera and Lella Burdese. Working closely with growers and cooperatives, the aim is to produce a range of authentic, well-priced wines from local grape varieties. The mainstay of white wine production is Pinot Grigio, sourced from the Pavia region south of Milan, Friuli and the Veneto. New projects in the Veneto and Sicily from the 2008 vintage see the addition of Prosecco, Grillo and Catarratto. The reds come from mature, low yielding vineyards in Sicily, Puglia and Abruzzo, the source of some of Europe's most undervalued and characterful wines.