La Braccesca's Achelo is Antinori's Cortona DOC Syrah, grown on clay-loam soils between Cortona and Montepulciano. Brief French-oak ageing frames dark berry, violet and black pepper over silky tannins. A polished, food-friendly Tuscan red.
Antinori's Cortona DOC Syrah shows violet, blackberry and black pepper over a frame of silky tannin, grown on clay-loam vineyards around Cortona and aged briefly in second and third-fill French oak barriques.
Achelo leads with violet, blackberry and plum, the floral lift La Braccesca draws from its Cortona Syrah, followed by black pepper and a vanilla edge from second and third-fill French oak. Ripe dark cherry sits behind.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Plum
Tobacco
Black pepper
Liquorice
VanillaThe palate is fresh and supple, with the silky tannins Antinori's notes point to, carrying black cherry, blackberry and licorice. At around 14% the body is medium-full but kept lively by Cortona's day-night temperature swings.
It closes savoury and medium in length on vanilla, ripe fruit and a last touch of spice, the gentle oak signature of its short barrique ageing.
A polished, fairly priced everyday Tuscan Syrah from Antinori's La Braccesca estate; Vivino drinkers rate it around 3.8 across more than 11,000 ratings and consistently flag dark fruit, pepper and a smooth, easy-drinking style. Drink within roughly five years.
Achelo is stocked in the UK across the 2022 and 2023 vintages, typically between about £18 and £26. As an early-drinking Cortona Syrah it is made to enjoy on release rather than to cellar.
Scored on food-friendliness, value, cellar potential and more, Achelo reads as an everyday Cortona Syrah: flexible at the table and keenly priced rather than a special-occasion bottle.
Medium-full Cortona Syrah with fresh acidity, supple tannin and a peppery edge; pairs across grilled red meat, lamb and barbecue.
Keenly priced and flexible with weeknight grills and roasts; an everyday Tuscan red rather than a cellar bottle.
No price_aggregate category row; derived from price band (about £18 to £26) and Vivino 3.8 over 11,000 ratings, strong quality-for-price for an Antinori estate wine.
Smooth, fruit-forward and only lightly oaked; an easy entry to Tuscan Syrah, though Syrah is an international rather than indigenous grape.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Cortona denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The warm, dry 2022 gives a riper, fuller Achelo, while the fresher, more aromatic 2023 leans on violet and black cherry. Both are built for drinking young.
A mild, wet winter and good August day-night swings gave a fresher, more aromatic 2023, harvested from 15 September. Expect violet, blackberry and black cherry over silky tannins, made for drinking young.
A warm, dry 2022 with a June hailstorm at La Braccesca that cut yields without harming quality; harvest came early, 10 to 13 September. The result is a riper, fuller Achelo with ripe dark berries, silky tannins and a vanilla-tinged finish.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Cortona is one of the few Tuscan appellations built around Syrah, and Antinori's La Braccesca estate, owned since 1990, works clay-loam soils between Cortona and Montepulciano to make it.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Cortona is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Cortona falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Estate-grown Syrah from Antinori's La Braccesca vineyards around Cortona carries brand and quality cost beyond a bought-in blend, a large reason Achelo sits near £18 to £26 rather than under £10.
About seven months with 70% of the wine in used French oak barriques adds barrel and cellar cost, though second and third-fill barrels keep it below new-oak prices.
Achelo is La Braccesca's accessible Syrah, priced deliberately under the single-vineyard Bramasole, which holds the bottle in the mid-teens to mid-twenties.
Roughly seven months of ageing and a young release mean less cellar tie-up than a long-aged Tuscan red, which keeps the price down.
UK still-wine duty of £2.67 to 15% ABV plus 20% VAT account for several pounds of the roughly £18 to £26 UK shelf price before the retailer's margin.
Dishes that complement this wine
Achelo's black-pepper lift and supple tannin, kept fresh by Cortona's day-night swings, sit naturally with grilled red meat, lamb and smoky barbecue.
Achelo's medium-full body and savoury, supple tannin stand up to charred, fatty grilled beef, while its fresh acidity cuts through the richness and the black-pepper note echoes a seared crust.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Ribeye steak · Sirloin steak · Fillet steak · More pairings →
The silky tannins bind to lamb's fat and protein, softening on the palate, while Achelo's pepper and licorice lift answer a rosemary or pepper crust on the meat.
Try with: Lamb chops · Lamb shank · Lamb seekh kebab · More pairings →
Syrah's signature black pepper, clear in Achelo's nose, bridges to peppercorn sauces and the savoury depth of game, where the wine's dark fruit balances the gaminess.
Try with: Venison Stew · Duck breast · Beef wellington · More pairings →
Fresh acidity cuts the fat of barbecue and pork, while the smoke and char find an echo in Achelo's savoury, lightly oaked edge rather than fighting it.
Try with: BBQ ribs · Pork belly · Char siu · More pairings →
The salt and crystalline bite of aged hard cheese is balanced by Achelo's ripe dark fruit and gentle tannin, a natural close to a Tuscan meal.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board
At around 14% alcohol with real tannin, Achelo amplifies the burn of fiery chilli dishes and turns bitter against them; reach for an off-dry white with heat like this instead.
Skip with: Rogan josh · Szechuan beef · Crispy chilli beef · Vindaloo · Pairing guide →
With about seven months in barrique and steel and supple tannins, Achelo is built for early pleasure; most vintages drink best within roughly five years of harvest rather than rewarding the cellar.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
About seven months in barrique and steel with supple tannins and an early-drinking profile; built for the near term, not long ageing.
£18.50 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 30 May 2026, 16:29 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumAchelo is made entirely from Syrah. It is Antinori's Cortona DOC Syrah from the La Braccesca estate in eastern Tuscany, named after the Etruscan divinity Achelo.
Expect blackberry, plum and violet aromas lifted by black pepper and a touch of vanilla, with fresh acidity and silky, supple tannins. Vivino drinkers rate it around 3.8 across more than 11,000 ratings.
Grilled and roasted red meat is the natural match: Tuscan bistecca, ribeye, lamb and smoky barbecue. Its black-pepper character also suits peppercorn sauces and aged hard cheese.
Drink it young. With about seven months in French oak barriques and steel, Achelo is built for early enjoyment and most vintages are at their best within roughly five years of the harvest.
Achelo is an accessible Cortona Syrah, usually priced between roughly £18 and £26 for the 2022 and 2023 vintages depending on the retailer.
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