Piccantino Maremmano Chilli Sauce

Chilli with a Tuscan accent. Piccantino is the Maremma's own answer to the question of heat — warmth built for the table rather than for a dare, made to season food instead of silencing it.

The heat arrives politely, settles in and stays for a while, carried on a base that is savoury and rounded rather than harsh. There is fruit behind the fire, which is what separates a chilli sauce worth keeping from a bottle of pure punishment.

A spoonful lifts a plain tomato pasta, a bean soup or a plate of grilled vegetables. Excellent stirred into a stew towards the end of cooking, and quietly brilliant on eggs.