We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to be exclusive importers of the fruits of their labours, which now include our first own label red wine, 'Dominico'. Wines from this estate continue to be our best sellers and they have a loyal following from many of our retail and trade clients.

In the Tuscan hills, south-east of Pisa, sits Luca Tommassini's vineyard, Sangervasio. We have watched the emergence of Luca's wines for many years and the current range is quite exceptional, crowned in our opinion by the luscious Merlot, 'I Renai'. One of our regular customers in the shop rates this as his favourite wine. Luca's care and commitment to the production of natural wines of quality are an example of the passion which exists amongst our growers not only for the wine they make but also for the land that they work.

When we decided to broaden our horizons beyond Tuscany our friends at La Spinosa introduced us to La Luna del Rospo at Agliano Terme in Piedmont. Another reclamation project where Michael and Renate Schaffer have restored a derelict vineyard and now produce some fabulous organic wines centered on the Barbera grape, topped off with the magnificent 'Solo per Laura', named after their daughter. We were delighted to welcome the Schaffer family to the Lake District in 2005 when Michael helped man an Organico stall at a dinner for the launch of Slow Food Cumbria at the First Floor Café in Windermere.

Until we took the decision to open our own retail outlet in Ambleside the above vineyards formed the backbone of our import business. During 2005 this expanded rapidly as along came other Italian growers whose wines we couldn't resist.

Michael Schaffer introduced us to the Loacker family and, in particular, to the fabulous biodynamic wines they produce at their Corte Pavone and Val di Falco estates in Tuscany. The Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino and Morellino di Scansano are among our favourite red wines.

Also producing quite special biodynamic wines in Montalcino are Luigi and Katia di Fabbro, at their small 2.1 hectare San Polino farm. We have fond memories of visiting them on a cold February day with snow covering Monte Amiata to the south. We have rarely seen such precision and care as in their winemaking techniques and the results are amply demonstrated in their first Brunello di Montalcino 2001, which received instant acclaim at Biofach in 2006. We are fortunate to have a small quantity of individually numbered bottles of the Riserva 2001 on our shelves.

We love the wines from Friuli in the north east of Italy and we are delighted to be bringing in to the UK those from Carlo Toppazzini's Castello di Arcano. He has brought together a small number of dedicated organic growers and produces quite stunning and very popular Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio as well as some interesting reds. These include a 'Merlot Nonso' which is entirely free of added sulphites.

Further west in the Veneto we bring to the UK a number of wines from Ottomarzo, a small co-operative north of Verona. These include Bardolino DOC Classico 'La Sapora', Valpolicella DOC Classico 'Grola', and the very special Amarone DOC Classico 'Gnirega'. Ottomarzo is a co-operative of organic grape growers that was originally founded by a community of women. The name Ottomarzo, 8th of March, is a testament to the exploited working class women who fought an arduous battle for political and economic rights at the end of the 19th century. Ottomarzo celebrates the women in every grape and every bottle of wine that they produce.

Also from the Veneto, the wines from La Cappuccina receive regular acclaim, and no wonder. We can't fault their range of Soave wines and their Rosso Veneto IGT 'Madégo' never stays on our shelves for long.

We searched for some time before finding the people we wanted to work with in Puglia, way down in the south of Italy. Raffaele Di Tuccio, his wife Antonia and their son Luigi take huge pride in their preservation of the land at Antica Enotria and this results in a selection of quite unique wines. Derek Kingwell, wine writer in the Westmorland Gazette, describes their 'Falu' as "the best Montipulciano he has tasted in ten years". We really do sell these wines too cheaply!

The following extract from Antica Enotria's information booklet sums up their philosophy -

"The rhythm of the earth.

Every day is different, powerful or submissive. You listen to it and feel Mother Nature, following her rhythm, until one day you realise that the rhythm of the earth and your own rhythm keep the same tempo. Day and night, snow and wind, work and rest. You and the earth." Raffaele Di Tuccio.

It was through Kevin, our shop manager, who has worked in vineyards in Provence that we came to know the Cotes de Ventoux region and its quite splendid wines. Great for everyday drinking or for that special occasion. Kevin's winemaker friend, Philippe, introduced us to a number of vineyards and we selected two to work with, because we love their wines and they are really nice people.

We arrived at Domaine Le Grand Vallat, with Philippe, late on a warm June morning to meet Marc and Poline Valentini the owners of this quite small, but beautifully cared for vineyard. Lunch was spontaneously offered and much enjoyed as we sampled the wines. Every one exuded quality so we had to bring them all and now make them available in the UK for the first time. In addition to the AOC Cotes du Ventoux, Marc makes single grape wines in small quantities including Merlot, Chardonnay and Viognier.

At Domaine Grand Jacquet Joël and Patricia Jacquet have converted the vineyard, that Joël inherited in 1991, to organic production. They make a fair number of different wines with some of the most attractive labels we have come across. Their 'L'Amelier Blanc' and 'L'Amelier Rouge' fly off the shelves as really good quality modestly priced wines. We have a particular liking for 'Le Diamont Noir' - 30% Black Grenache/70% Syrah.

Thinking back to our early experiences with organic wines in Tuscany we would never have believed that we would have ended up being collected from our hotel in Beaune and driven up the hill behind the town to meet one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy. Not just to meet him but to reach an agreement that we be his importer to the UK. Wine really is in the blood here, Jean-Claude's grandfather made his own Côte de Beaune wines at 'La Grande Chatelaine'. The wines of Jean-Claude Rateau are impeccable, as one would expect, with that little bit extra that the pursuit of biodynamic principles can bring to this premier wine region. The '1er Cru Les Bressandes' is Pinot Noir at its very best.

Jean-Claude introduced us to his partner, Sylvie Spielmann, who produces a range of biodynamic wines at Domaine Sylvie Spielmann at Bergheim in the Alsace. When we met over lunch to discuss and taste some of her wines we were amazed when a bottle of 1985 Grand Cru Kanzlerberg Riesling was opened. It tasted beautifully fresh and with no signs of oxidation despite its age. The small Kanzlerberg vineyard was originally planted by the Templars in 12th Century and has been in production since then. We are particularly fond of the '2003 Gerwurztraminer Reserve' and the '2002 Kanzlerberg Grand Cru Riesling'. The rich Bergheim gypsum marl produces intense, full bodied wines that age well, no better exemplified than those made on this estate.

In the Mâconnais, the vineyard at Domaine des Vignes du Maynes was planted between 800 and 1000AD, by the monks of Cluny Abbey, and has been in cultivation ever since. Wine has been made here for much longer - we saw the remains of old Roman walls in the cellars. Wines have been made organically since 1954. Today, Alain Guillot and his son Julien apply rigorous biodynamic principles to today's production of a number of excellent wines made from Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir. The stony shallow soils impart a particular minerality to the whites, especially the Macon Cruzille 'Aragonite'.

Further south in Beaujolais we are delighted to be working with three different growers. Each produces their own wines in their own individual style from the Gamay grape. We met all three at the winery of André Rampon who produces an award winning Cru Beaujolais 'Regnié', the grapes being pressed in an old wooden press. André has been farming organically since 1982 and is one of a number of growers who now use horses to work the vineyard, thus reducing soil compaction. The Vermorel family has followed in its father's footsteps for ten generations with a dedication to go back to the methods, wine making practices and the quality of wines their ancestors used to make. From their estate Domaine de la Fully we buy their fruity Beaujolais.

A little to the north Michel Guignier and his family have also been vine growers for several generations. Michel makes his wines without added sulphites and the finesse of his 'Fleurie' reflects the care taken by this traditional grower whose horse 'Fleurie' is very much part of the 'team' in the vineyard.

We made an enjoyable detour off the autoroute on our recent trip to meet Thierry and Sylvie Ruffin at Champagne Yves Ruffin near Eperney. It is a great privilege to be the UK representative for such a dedicated winemaking family. They are producing some wonderful Premier Cru champagnes at their three hectare estate using biodynamic methods, and doing it with great care. We find their 'NV Brut' and 'NV Extra Brut' to be very popular and having now tasted the 2000 and 2002 Vintage Champagnes and the NV Rosé, reservations for these have been made. We're certainly not wanting to miss out on these!

We next visited Domaine Henri Richard in Gevrey Chambertin to taste some quite exceptional wines. This is another small estate using biodynamic methods. It was quite a chore deciding which ones to present to our customers! We eventually opted for the 2003 Gevrey Chambertin, 'Aux Corveés', and both the 2002 and 2003 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. These wines will be available on our lists during July.

This story about our winemakers began with our friends at La Spinosa. Several years ago they formed a small association of European independent organic wine producers. Through them we met one of their members, Ilse Maier, and subsequently spent an afternoon in her vineyards overlooking the Danube in Austria and sampling her Geyerhof wines. Austria's Grüner Veltliner grape is increasingly sought after and Ilse's collection of wines from this grape is quite sensational and produced with great passion. The vineyard covers a variety of different soil types, each wine expressing the different aspects of the terroir. We have lots of Geyerhof favourites but are definitely fond of the '2006 Grüner Veltliner Rosensteig', '2006 Grüner Veltliner Hoher Rain' and the '2006 Riesling Johannisberg'.