Due in Lidl stores Nov 24th 2016

Sassi del Mare Beneventano Falanghina 2015, Campania, Italy (£7.99 Lidl)
Lovely floral-tinged nectarine, ripe orange and fennel flavours, and a light almondy note, but just as impressive are the lightly gritty texture – gritty as in the texture of a just-ripe pear – and perky finish. A bargain. S(-)

Barolo Riserva 2009, Piedmont, Italy (£12.99 Lidl)
I like the violet-tinged plummy red berry flavours, and the touch of smokiness, and I don’t mind the (unexpected) peachy character, but there’s also a slightly green/earthy note that lets it down. B-

Casato dei Medici Riccardi Bolgheri 2013, Tuscany, Italy (£14.99 Lidl)
Lots of dark plummy berry and blackcurrant flavour supported by smoky oak, I notice a little too much of the heat of alcohol, and there’s also a touch of greenness that says either underripe fruit or less than top-notch oak, but overall this is a decent glass of wine. B+

Corte Allodola Amarone della Valpolicella 2012, Veneto, Italy (£12.49 Lidl)
Smells at first to be a bit wimpy for Amarone, but it opens up to show its bold blackcurrant, berry and cherry flavours, some of them veering towards but never quite reaching the jammy. Not the finest Amarone, but a decent wine at this price. S-

Casato dei Medici Riccardi Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy (£8.99 Lidl)
While there’s a decent enough core of blackcurranty cherry fruit, this feels like it’s lost freshness in ageing, with a slight green age of not especially high class oak, but also the bruised appley whiff of light oxidation. Good in parts, put could have been better. C