To Autumn... Iain Smith savours some luscious reds from southern Italy

To Autumn
O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou mayst rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

by William Blake

Hi, my name's Iain Smith and I've been running my own little wine shop, Smith's, on Magdalen Road for the last 2 1/2 years. Prior to this I spent four years with Majestic Wine and before that it's all a bit of a blurr! I'll be writing regular pieces about my adventures with, mostly, wine and food AND hopefully inspire some of you to get out of the supermarkets and start having a real adventure too!

There is such an exciting range of tastes and flavours out there that have been honed and tuned by generations of passionate people, it seems a shame to limit oneself to the high volume, commercial choices available in the multi-outlet operations.

So here we are, suddenly shaken from a delightful summer into cold mornings and darkening evenings. Time, then, to get the logs in and turn our thoughts from refreshing white wines to warming reds that give your tummy a little cuddle from the inside!

For me, Italy's delights beckon – and for an adventure, it's time to head to the South-East, to Puglia. Not particularly well known amongst us Brits, it is the 'heel of the boot' and a powerhouse of wine production, producing more wine than any other Italian region.

The warm Mediterranean climate and cooling sea breezes make the region an agricultural paradise, where grapes ripen consistently. As a result of this Puglia became well known for reliable, if unexciting bulk wine that was sold all over Europe and even used to bolster Northern Italian and French wines in poor vintages.

Recent years have seen leaps in quality as producers recognised the opportunity to bottle, market and sell their own wines. With an array of exciting indigenous grape varieties and investment in improved winemaking technology, Puglia is really starting to appear on the wine drinker's radar, earning the title of 'Italy's New World' – a nod to the climate and the winemaking innovation.

Recognising the enormous potential in this region, in 1998, the Antinori family founded Tormaresca buying two estates, Bocca di Lupo in the Castel del Monte DOC in the north of the region and Masseria Maìme further south in the Salento. Working with both indigenous and international grape varieties whilst applying 'Super-Tuscan' winemaking techniques, the goal was to produce wines that would not only stand out regionally, but become true global icons.

Marchesi Antinori Srl is an Italian wine company that can trace its history back to 1385. They are one of the biggest wine companies in Italy, and their innovations played a large part in the Super-Tuscan revolution of the 1970s.

So this week I've been enjoying Tormaresca's stunning 'Neprica' – a soothing blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon – full and rich from the Primitivo, a lovely earthiness from the Negroamaro and juicy pepper notes from the Cabernet, brilliant! Normally around the £16 a bottle mark, but on offer at the moment for only £12.50 it really is a bargain for a weekend treat. For a more every day wine try the oustanding 'Boheme' Primitivo, at only £6.70 it's lighter and spicier than the 'Neprica' but at almost half the price it's a real crowd pleaser.

If this has tantalised the taste buds of the oenophiles among you, a visit to Smith's Wines, found at 19 Magdalen Road, Exeter, is highly recommended. 

If you have any questions about wine or wine matching that you would like to ask Iain email them to ted@thedailyuk.com marked WINE COLUMN QUERY