RS is a blend of Merlot and the rare Pignolo grapes, a combination which is as offbeat as the Radikon estate itself. Pignolo was almost extinct until the 1970s, but more recently has roared back into the life of Friulian winemakers because it can make mega-concentrated red wines. Anyway, enough grape talk, this red from Radikon is a liquoricey, cherry and blackberry laden, super savoury red that feels spicy and brambly, and yet somehow crisp and taut. It's just a little bit wild, but wildly charming too.

Maybe it's something in the water, or perhaps it's just life in a border region. Whatever it is, the green, hilly edges of Friuli, where it touches the Italy/Slovenia border, remains a hotbed of wine fascination, with an array of winemakers pushing every possible boundary with minimal intervention wines. Much of the modern revival of this region comes down to the work of Stanko Radikon, who in 1995 made the pioneering step of fermenting some of his white grapes on skins to create a Friulian orange wine. Stanko went on to become a natural wine icon, embracing not just skin contact but also minimal additions across a range of whites and reds that turned the Italian wine world upside down. While Stanko passed in 2016, Sasa Radikon has now taken up the mantle to challenge norms and provide sensational natural wines.