“In short, Merlino is an authentic Italian Unicorn. The Unicorn is a rare and fabulous beast, wild and free, and a symbol of purity and grace. Only the Virgin Mary could ever tame it. That sounds like the perfect description of Merlino to me!”

– Paul Howard, The Wine Alchemy

This might be one of our favourite quotes in regards to describing a wine. Paul Howard sampled the Merlino by Pojer e Sandri and enjoyed it so much that he went on to purchase multiple bottles from The Archive. He’s written a fascinating article on his site, The Wine Alchemy, which breaks down this fascinating wine. He explores its delicious, yet unusual taste. He explains its method of creation. And he offers his advice on exactly how you can enjoy this wonderful wine at home.

 

 

This really is quite a unique wine, which is actually referred to as a “liqueur wine”. It’s purple in colour and you’ll experience notes of cocoa, coffee and caramel. Howard noted that the primary notes are red berry and cherry, and after ten minutes or so in the glass, he picked up herbal notes too.

For us, this wine is to be enjoyed on an evening with a chocolate dessert, and we love that Howard felt the same, “…Alternatively, a glass for quiet contemplation is all you need.”.

He suggests dark chocolate, coffee ice cream, tiramisu, but even strawberries and cheese as the perfect pairing for the Merlino and we couldn’t agree more.

The Merlino is currently out of stock, but we’re delighted to be restocking shortly. If you’d like to be on the waiting list for a bottle, please email daniel@thevices.co.uk and we’ll make sure you’re one of the first to know.

Click HERE to read the full article from Paul Howard.