Wine of the week: a juicy, joyous Chianti fit for James Bond

Picture the scene – secret agent James Bond and arch enemy Le Chiffre, sitting opposite each other as the stakes raise ever higher in the memorable poker scene in Casino Royale. 007 carefully studies Le Chiffre’s face for signs of the “tell” that indicates he is bluffing. Or is he? I love this film and in particular those personal ticks that give away how others are truly feeling.

I first tasted this wine in a line-up of bottles with Jim Eustace, managing director of wine emporium Haynes, Hanson & Clark. I never judge a wine by its label, preferring to zone in on the flavour. That way, I can be sure that it is the contents of the bottle that have stood up to my rigorous assessment rather than the artwork! However, as Jim poured this glass for me I spotted a nigh on imperceptible curve in the corner of his mouth which grew and grew.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Try as he might, he couldn’t stifle a smile, which rapidly turned into a grin. I didn’t have to be a clairvoyant to figure out that he had a bit of a thing for this newly arrived vintage.

Now, this is a man who doesn’t give anything away and so I knew that ’17 Campriano was special and, of course, it is. This is one of the juiciest, most joyous and finest value Chiantis I have tasted in years. Daniel Craig needs to pour this wine next time he fancies a game of poker, too.

2017 Chianti, Colli Senesi, Campriano, Tuscany, Italy – £12.90, reduced to £11.45 each by the case, Haynes Hanson & Clark, 020-7584 7927, hhandc.co.uk.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com).

This article was originally published in MoneyWeek