The Italian brand Peroni likes to position itself as the coolest of beers, drunk by fashionable, beautiful young people. So I could not help wondering why I was invited to attend the rooftop launch of its House of Peroni pop-up on Dublin’s Dame Lane earlier this month. It is a restaurant and bar, and today is the last day it’s open (until 11pm), with no bookings required.
There is great Italian food by renowned chefs, including Francesco Mazzei (from Sartoria in London’s Mayfair), Aoife Noonan (Luna in Dublin) and Michael Ryan (Dublin Pizza Company), but the drinks at House of Peroni were not uninteresting.
Federico Riezzo, Peroni’s Dublin-based global brand ambassador and mixologist, has created a drinks menu of “infusions”, or what the rest of us would call cocktails. Beer in cocktails? Well, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
I was impressed by the “pegroni”, a negroni (gin, vermouth and Campari cocktail) mixed with Peroni; and the “parma”, which featured gin, Peroni, melon and mint, garnished with crispy parma ham.
The stand-out drink, though, was Peroni Ambra, a 250ml premixed bottle of the beer and Italian chinotto, a type of bitter citrus fruit that resembles a small orange. The drink is served over ice with a twist of orange and it works remarkably well, like an aperol spritz. It is not available in stores but surely it will be at some stage soon.
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Of course, Peroni is not the only fashionable thing to come out of Italy and in keeping with the appearance of previously hard-to-find produce such as ’nduja (cured Calabrian pork sausage) and burrata (a cream-filled mozzarella) on supermarket shelves in Ireland, Lidl has a promotion of 28 Italian wines, starting on June 12.
It is a continuation of the German multiple’s campaign to lure the middle classes into its stores in greater numbers and, unlike the premium French sale later in the year, these wines are priced to move, with 23 of them pitched at €9.99 or less.
At that price, there are always going to be a few duds, but the number of decent ones will probably surprise you.
Among the whites that hit the spot is a pecorino, at the bargain price of €7.99. I rated it 87/100. This has attractive pear, nougat and citrus notes.
Another serious bargain is the Falanghina 2015, at €7.99, with a score of 88pts. This one has lovely ripe mouth-filling melon and orange-zest flavours. There is even a half-decent pinot grigio (86pts) — and those are not words you will see me type often — at the same price.
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The Corte Allodola Soave (87pts), at €9.99, is a step-up from its regular Soave. Tuscan Vernaccia di San Gimignano (86pts) seems to pop up regularly in Lidl’s Italian specials and at €9.99 it is worth a look, if it’s a variety you are unfamiliar with.
Another rarity is the Müller Thurgau (86pts), from Italy’s mountainous Alto Adige region in the far north, which is also priced at €9.99.
There are several hits among the reds on offer, too. From the north, there’s a barolo for €17.99 and from the south Lidl has a barbaresco at just €12.99.
The nebbiolo grape, as regular readers of this column will know, is not my thing but all the other tasters loved them and these ones are a bargain. Personally, however, I would rather drink the Barbera d’Asti (88pts), at €8.99.
There’s an impressive chianti for just €9.99. Medici Riccardi Chianti Colli Senesi 2015 (90pts) is from an estate once used as a hunting lodge used by the Medici family.
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Other Tuscan delights include Duca di Sasseta Chieteno-Rosso Toscano (89pts), at €11.99, and the bargain buy of the reds, a Rosso di Montepulciano 2016 (90pts) for just €8.99.
Fans of rich, soft southern reds will find a blast from the past in the Salice Salentino Riserva 2011 (90pts), at the absurd price of €8.99. They will also enjoy the fruitier Duca di Sasseta Nero di Troia IGT Puglia 2016 (88pts), at €8.99.
Meanwhile over at rival Aldi, its Italian wine section has had a bit of a revamp and it invariably involves something trendy.
Passito reds, or wines made with dried grapes, are all the rage now, and Aldi has Falco Rosso Passito (87pts) from southern Italy, at just €7.99. The German multiple has also gone crazy for prosecco, now stocking six brands in total.
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Martin recommends: Italian wine
Falanghina 2015, IGP Benevento, Campania; €7.99, Lidl.
The bargain white in the sale with lots of lovely lush melon and orange-zest fruit that’s soft yet fresh enough. 88/100
Casal Thaulero Pecorino, Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo; €7.99, Lidl.
Pecorino has come from nowhere in the past few years to almost being a must-stock. Attractive pear, nougat and orange character. 87/100
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Medici Riccardi Chianti Colli Senesi 2015; €9.99, Lidl.
There’s classic chianticharacter but the structure and acidity mean it really needs to be enjoyed with food. 90/100
Vigna la Cupa Brindisi Riserva 2014, Apulia; €9.99, Lidl.
With its rich bramble and cherry fruit, allied to mocha and vanilla, it could almost be an Australian shiraz. 89/100
Rosso di Montepulciano 2016, Tuscany; €8.99, Lidl.
The bargain red buy of the Lidl sale and one of the most serious €8.99 wines you will ever buy. 90/100
Falco Rosso Vino Passito 2015, Puglia; €7.99, Aldi.
Made with dried grapes so a little residual sugar to go with the rich soft fruit, and notes of raisin and bramble. A real crowd-pleaser. 85/100