IT'S the Euros* and, as usual in recent years, everyone writes off old masters Italy only to then think, blimey, they beat the highest-ranked country in the competition (Belgium) and another half-decent team (Sweden) to breeze through the group, so maybe they aren't bad after all.

Look at the 1982 and 2006 World Cups. The Azzurri were supposedly also-rans but went on to win the thing.

Can we draw parallels with wine?

With the French waving their flags and the New World upstarts constantly trying to get a bigger share of the market and competing with the classics, some Italian wines, like their football team, do sometimes get overlooked these days, despite traditional strength and success.

But let's not forget that those US and South American champions, for example, have plenty of roots in Europe's wine heartland. Take Lionel Messi for one - an Argentinian superstar but one with Italian ancestry.

Let's look at the Primitivo grape, from Puglia, right down the heel of the Italian boot.

Often ignored and even unnoticed - a bit like Emanuele Giaccherini as he ghosted in to score against Belgium - this is one variety that can't half make a quality wine.

Take the Paolo Leo Primitivo di Maduria 2014.

Like any good Italian team built on an outstanding defence, this drink has wonderful foundations - produced from 40-year-old vines which are grown around Sava in the heart of sun-drenched Salento, and are trained using traditional Pugliese methods to ensure low yields but great concentration.

You then add some layers of attacking spice, a bit like Roberto Baggio roving upfield in his heyday, by putting it for six months in oak barriques, but without forgetting important earthiness, that dirty knowhow of grinding out important wins.

There's lush, ripe dark berry fruit in this tipple with nuances of liquorice, a bit of bite offered by 2006 midfield terrier Rino Gattuso and structure provided by shrewd manager Marcello Lippi, all followed by a rich finish - like those provided by goal-scoring great Paolo Rossi in 1982.

It is, frankly, a wonderful, warm, strong drink and currently a snip at Waitrose, down from £10.99 to £7.99 until June 28.

Be warned, though, like many Italian tournament teams of yesteryear, this can be a slow starter - open and decant it for a few hours to allow it to reach maximum potential.

Waitrose also have another Italian classic currently on offer, and this one a bit more well-known on these shores - perhaps like Premier League-winning managers Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri.

It's a Chianti - specifically Poggio Castagno Chianti Classico 2013, down from £10.79 to £6.99 until June 28.

Made from the wonderful Sangiovese grapes by the renowned Piccini family, blended though with a touch of Merlot and Syrah, this is a fruity, gifted wine but with great poise and balance, a bit like pass-master Andrea Pirlo in his World Cup-winning pomp.

* By Euros, I obviously mean the European Football Championship, not the monetary unit that is among the subjects being argued about ahead of the impending EU Referendum. Talking of which, it'll be interesting to see what happens to the price of Italian/French/Spanish/etc wine if the UK votes to Leave, and if tariffs are imposed. Pretty sure we've never been able to get such top-quality Old World wines at such affordable prices as we do now. Here's hoping we still can!