Computerised machines flying at speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour – certainly nothing I envisioned during my 40 years of racing sailing vessels.

Starting on March 6, for only the third time since 1851, we will watch a boat from Europe as it challenges New Zealand for the America’s Cup.

Today, for all the Luna Rossa fans I will tell you about six wines that we have recently unloaded from Italy. The first three will be from the Masi winery that “invented’ amarone.

Ernest Hemingway thought that valpolicella was a “light dry red wine as friendly as the home of a favourite brother”. Bonacosta is named for an area at the foot of the slopes where Masi grows grapes for amarone, where gentle hillside vineyards have rich topsoil, soft valley breezes and excellent exposition. The 2019 Masi Bonacosta Valpolicella Classico is produced here in an elegant style full of simplicity and freshness.

Made in the Valpolicella Classico region from a blend using the traditional veronese grapes – corvina, rondinella and molinara – it is bright red with purple tinges and has a full bouquet with aromas reminiscent of cherries and green pepper.

Smooth on the palate with delicate tannins and good acidity to give excellent freshness of taste. The finish is long and fruity. $24.70 (Stock #9180).

If you are looking for a sweet treat then consider a half bottle of 2016 Masi Angelorum Recioto Classico that is a traditional sweet dessert wine from the Valpolicella region that is made from corvina, rondinella and molinara grapes dried for three months. After vinification, the wine is aged in oak barrels.

A full-bodied red wine, with rich and complex aromas and a perfect balance of alcohol and sweetness. Serve with cheese, biscuits or cakes, or as an accompaniment for fireside conversations. It is a deep opaque ruby red colour. The nose is intense and fruity with aromas of fruit preserved in spirit, marasca cherries, prunes, candied fruit and sweet spices. Voluptuous and mouth-filling on the palate with soft tannins, sweetness that is not at all cloying and good acidity to give balance. The finish is long and fruity with a touch of cinnamon. This is a new treat in our portfolio of wines. $37.30 (Stock #9173).

A flagship of this winery is 2015 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Costasera Riserva, that is also new for us. Their regular Amarone Costasera had led the pack here for many years but let me have the winery tell you about their Riserva: “Plums and baked cherries on the nose with hints of bay leaf. Magnificently rich and soft on the palate with rich cherry and blueberry flavours and some sweet spice. Long, dry finish with a touch of fresh blueberries.

“Proud, majestic, complex and exuberant. This is a special cru version of Masi’s gentle giant, Costasera. A benchmark for the amarone category which, together with barolo and brunello, makes up the aristocracy of the Italian wine world. Here Masi’s unrivalled expertise in the appassimento technique is used to give the grapes a long period of further ripening on bamboo racks and an ageing period for the wine of at least three years in casks made from the finest wood types. The expert use of indigenous grapes for the Valpolicella Classico area – corvina, rondinella and molinara – is enriched by the addition of the unique oseleta, a grape variety rediscovered by Masi. Storage life: 30 to 35 years.

“Opaque ruby red. Nose: plums and baked cherries, with hints of toasted coffee. Palate: majestic and elegant, cherries preserved in spirit, and bitter cocoa. Attractively long finish. Food pairing: ideal with red meat, game and mature cheeses. Fine after-dinner drink.” Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most respected wine reference book, give it their highest award of tre bicchieri (three glasses). $80 (Stock #9176).

Now to my old friend Pio Boffa and the winery that his grandfather founded in 1881. Their 2017 Pio Cesare Oltre Langhe 2017, also new for us, is a blend of nebbiolo, barbera and a small amount of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot. It exhibits a bright red and intense, ripe berry fruit. Sailing, pepperoni pizza and the elegance of this wine sounds enticing to me. $37 (Stock #9150).

If you want to know why Pio is considered to be the “rock star” of barolo then you need to try his new 2016 Pio Cesare Barolo Mosconi from his latest land acquisition and made for his 60th birthday. James Suckling rates it 97/100 and writes: “Really attractive blue fruit and flowers with hints of minerals. Full-bodied, very tight and sexy with super fine tannins, at the same time. A structured and racy young wine. Better after 2021,”

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has this to say: “This is the second vintage released of this new wine from Pio Cesare, and what an elegant treat it is. The 2016 Barolo Mosconi, with fruit from Monforte d'Alba, is a toned and slender wine that shows the inner power and muscle of this corner of the appellation. The bouquet is defined by a pretty mineral note that is backed by wild berry fruit, rose petal and a dusting of crushed stone or tilled earth. I feel the tight tannins of this wine, but I also taste the elegance. 96+/100.” $148 (Stock #9152).

The nebbiolo grape is named for the “nebbie” or mists that roll amongst the hills of the Langhe area. I have memories of heavy fog and driving with a malfunctioning GPS in our car. Not recommended at all!

Besides barolo this grape is also responsible for barbaresco that is considered the more “feminine” of the two. We have just received 2016 Pio Cesare Barbaresco that James Suckling describes in this way: “Yum. Very fine tannins with a dusty texture. Plenty of subtle ripe strawberries, orange peel and cedar. It’s medium-bodied with a fresh, fruity finish. Tight and beautiful. Give it a year or two to open, but already a beauty. 95/100.”

Jeb Dunnuck comments: “Beautiful stuff, the 2016 Barbaresco is 100 per cent varietal from estate vineyards in Treiso and in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio. This medium-bodied, ethereal effort has a wonderful mid-palate and silky tannins as well as lovely ripe cherry fruit, sappy flowers, crushed stone, and liquorice aromas and flavours. Drink it any time over the coming 15 to 20 years.” $107.40 (Stock #9151).

This column is an advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Contact Michael Robinson at mrobinson@bll.bm. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554) and Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355). Visit www.wineonline.bm