With fast cars, a cornucopia of rich cuisine and about 25 per cent of the world's wine supply, Italy offers something for just about everyone.

The wine part of the equation provides new excitement every year following the renaissance of the 1980s, when the “super Tuscans” broke the stranglehold of arcane wine-content laws.
This reborn fame also spawned a collection of boutique wineries throughout the country, offering real treasures if you can find them. Fortunately we have Fin (fabulous is needed), an importer-distributor specialising in boutique, higher-end wineries to help keep us up to speed.
One of Fin’s gems is a small Tuscan property near Sienna called Capannelle. Owned since 1997 by American shipping magnate James Sherwood, the winery was established in 1975 by Italian visionary Raffaele Rossetti on a vineyard respected for quality sangiovese grapes for nearly two centuries.
Manuele Verdelli, Capannelle’s sales director, co-hosted with Fin a group of local food and beverage directors at Millennium Hilton’s Prime steakhouse to present his wines.
Starting the evening in style, Fin owners Benjawan Wisoothsat and Jan Ganser poured a critically acclaimed Champagne from Diebolt-Vallois to accompany an exquisite array of oysters, lobster, prawns and king crab.
Diebolt’s ’98 “Fleur de Passion” chardonnay from grand cru vineyards in Cramant was a winner in every respect. Full of complex fruit and spice flavours over a creamy base, owing to long-barrel fermentation, this is a sensational must-have sparkler.
Luxury is probably the best word to describe the Capannelle property and winery. Winemaking is done in underground, temperature-controlled cellars and all wines are barrel- and bottle-aged before release. Production is tiny at only 80,000 bottles (6,700 cases), all of which are sold only to well-established restaurants and a few private buyers.
We enjoyed three of their four wines with prime steak dinners. The 2001 Chianti Classico riserva offered clear testimony to that vintage being one of the best in decades in Chianti.
Opening with floral accents followed by ripe black cherry and subtle hints of oak, it’s a wine drinking exceptionally well now with solid ageing potential over the next five to eight years.
The ’99 Solare is a blend of 80 per cent sangiovese and 20 per cent malvasia nero showing finesse with solid structure and rich ripe berry, liquorice and vanilla flavours. A lengthy finish will only become longer with age.
Capannelle entered the “super Tuscan” market with an inky, deep-ruby blend of 50 per cent sangiovese and 50 per cent merlot, the latter coming from partner Avignonesi winery. Aptly named 50 & 50, the ’01 is full of ripe berry aromas, not-so-subtle oak tannins and a massive finish. This is a collector’s wine that will continue developing over the next 10 to 15 years.
These boutique jewels are pricey wines in any market and higher still in our punishing tax environment. That said, you should acquire a couple of bottles from Fin at (02) 653 0154. For reservations at Hilton’s Prime Steakhouse, call (02) 442 2000.