2025 Bella Modella La Farfalla Pinot Grigio, Umbria

Bella Modella is all about bright, modern Italian wines with plenty of personality, and La Farfalla, meaning “the butterfly”, is exactly that sort of Pinot Grigio. Sourced from Umbria, Italy’s green heart, it steps away from the oceans of neutral Pinot Grigio and heads towards something with a little more fruit, texture and character while remaining wonderfully easy to drink.

Umbria’s rolling hills and warm Mediterranean sunshine give Pinot Grigio enough ripeness to move beyond simple citrus flavours, while cooler nights help retain freshness. The 2025 is made for youthful drinking, with crisp orchard fruit, delicate florals and just enough savoury bite to make it useful at the table. No need to overthink this one. Chill it, find something delicious and open the bottle.

Very pale straw with a green silver tint, opening with Nashi pear, green apple and white peach. Lemon blossom and grapefruit follow, with hints of fresh fennel and almond skin underneath. The palate is light, dry and crisp, with pear and citrus at the centre, a gentle textural grip and a clean finish of lemon peel, almond and fresh herbs.

Garlic prawns with parsley would disappear rather quickly alongside it, as would salt and pepper squid, zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, spaghetti alle vongole or a plate of burrata, tomatoes and basil. Our pick is the zucchini flowers, crisp from the fryer with the creamy ricotta still warm inside.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2028.