Arneis

We're back in the Piemonte of Italy today after a nearly 5 hour circuitous drive. We went through Bologna, through the vinegar capital of Modena, the home o fine prosciutto in Parma, and then wound our way through the Italian Alps to the little town of Roero in the province of Cuneo. It's hear that the once lost white grape Arneis found its rebirth.

We're at 550 meters/1800 feet where the Stura and Gesso rivers come together. It's also surrounded by six mountain passes ranging in elevation from Colle di Cadibona at 459 meters /1500 feet to Colle della Madalena at 1996 meters/6550 feet.

During World War II, Roera as the capital of Cuneo was a resistance center against German occupation of Italy. Briefly, at least compared to others, the prominent Jewish population of the area was interred in concentration camps, but they were also among the first to be rescued.

The town is also the home of Arneis, a long-lost white grape, perhaps because nobody could find a home for it. But, Alfredo Currado, winemaker for the famous Vietti family, perhaps more widely known for its prodigious Barolo and Barbaresco saw a home for it in the Roero and is now the king of the grape.

It's a sublte grape, producing wines that make one think summer afternoon. Certainly not in your face, but rather to bring reflection, the wine is low in acidity, fairly light bodied, and reflects much of the plant life in the area. On the nose, we get almond, nutmeg, and some underripe peach and golden delicious apple. On the palate, we find those flavors as well as juicy peach and perhaps some less concentrated honey.

Do not overcool your Arneis. 10C/50F is plenty cold enough. Serve it with creamy pasta, chicken, or light fish. So, a wonderful pairing might be fettucine alfredo with chicken, or even turkey, added to it. And, for a special addition to the pairing, add a healthy dose of tarragon to your sauce.




Comments

Post a Comment

I'd like your feedback and questions.

Popular posts from this blog

Gruner Veltliner

With some time to kill and wanting to see the countryside, but obviously not able to drive ourselves, we hailed an Uber to go from northern Italy to Wachau, Austria right on the Danube (little did I know that I would need an additional credit card for this trip). We're going to drink wine from the most widely planted grape in the country, Gruner Veltliner. As we arrive on the east bank of the river, we see a number of bottles set out for us. But, something is odd. None of them are the traditional 750 ml bottle that we are used to. No, the wine sometimes affectionately known as Gru-V is bottled in chubby, almost cylindrical with their short necks, 1 liter bottles with crown (you need a bottle opener, not a corkscrew) caps. In Wachau, most Gru-V wine is grown on steep, terraced slopes that have almost no ability to retain soil. Winemakers believe that the stress from lack of soil enhances the flavor profile of Gru-V. Our wines are white with a slight very pale green tinge to them
Read more

Mount Veeder

Bordering Los Carneros and almost directly to the north, what a difference a few miles makes. Today, we are in the Mount Veeder American Viticultural Area (AVA). The ride here takes only 15 minutes and if there were a raod that would take us directly, it might be only 5, but the terrain. climate, soil, and virtually everything else about Mount Veeder makes it unique. Likely the single most unique thing about Mount Veeder AVA among the Napa Valley appelations is the slope of the hillsides. When we visit the other mountain AVAs within the broader Napa Valley AVA, we see some pretty steep slopes that grapes are growing on -- 10 degree grades, 15 degree grades. In the Mount Veeder AVA, that would be looked at as perfectly flat. And, that is what makes Mount Veeder different. The typical 30 degree grades make access difficult. When we think about what a 30 degree slope really means, consider what it is like to get mechanical equipment into the vineyards. For the most part, it's just not
Read more

Wineries and Wine Clubs

Wineries treat their wine club members well. At least most of them do. And, they should.  Think about it. A wine club member is an automatically repeating customer. And, in being automatically repeating, these are not just any wines, these are the sought after, usually higher priced, limited production wines.  Wineries have three kinds of direct-to-consumer customers: those who come by the winery or buy through the winery website and buy once, those who are fairly frequent customers, but on their own schedules, and those wine club members who get multiple bottles of wine at scheduled times during the year and frequently buy more.  Frankly, it's a symbiotic relationship. The winery gets a group of loyal customers. It gets predictable purchases from a dedicated group. The wine club member gets access to wines that other might want and some other special perks. Some give occasional gifts, some give free shipping, almost all give discounts, and if you visit the winery, you likely get t
Read more