2022 Mazzolino Bonarda, Tenuta Mazzolino

• Style: Rustic, fruit-forward red
• Taste: Dark plum, earthy depth, grippy tannins, bright acidity
• Food: Mushroom & truffle, pizza, pasta, poultry, cured meats
• Occasion: Weeknight dinner, Sunday lunch
• Serve: Slightly cool, 14% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

This wine tastes like where it comes from — honest, unpretentious, built for the table. Dark plum and earthy undertones speak to the clayey-loamy soils of its west-facing vineyard in Oltrepò Pavese. The tannins are rustic and grippy with enough structure to age 2–3 years, though it drinks beautifully now, refreshing your palate between bites with real freshness and natural 14% ABV.

The Winery — Tenuta Mazzolino

On what locals call the "hill of Pinot Nero," Francesca Seralvo leads an estate her grandfather established in the 1970s after arriving from France. She tends 20 hectares split across 36 parcels at 300–350 metres elevation, where cool Apennine breezes help grapes retain flavour. The 2022 vintage brought warmth and dryness across northern Italy; low yields meant healthy, concentrated fruit. The wine fermented in stainless steel with gentle skin contact before six months in vat, keeping it bright and alive.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is where the wine comes alive. Serve it slightly cool with polenta topped with mushrooms, creamy risottos, or soft cheeses like Taleggio — the acidity and tannin cut through richness without pretence. Equally at home with cured meats or tomato-based pasta, it's one of the finest examples of Italy's underrated red varieties. Croatina, the native grape of this corner of Lombardy, ripens late with restraint. A genuine everyday discovery rather than a special-occasion splurge, perfect for weeknight dinners and Sunday lunches alike.