View of fog rolling over Piemonte. Eat this, Royal Wedding! (Pic by Kat Bryant)
Arcese (Favorita, Arneis, Cortese, Sauvignon Blanc), Bera Vittorio e Figli, 2010, Piedmont
Nearly one year ago today, my wife and I were in Piedmont, one of Italy’s top wine regions. It was a dream come true, and after years of dreaming and scheming, I had to pinch myself when I drove past road signs with names like “Barolo”, “La Morra”, “Alba” and “Asti”.
B-O-R-I-N-G
One of my most memorable afternoons was when Kat decided she was staying in the hotel to watch the Royal Wedding. After thinking about that option versus zipping through the hilltop towns in my rented Fiat, I thought, “yeah, fuck that. Royal wedding?! Please! I’m in Piedmont, mf’er!” And for the next three hours, I became one with the winding, serpentine roads, saw the clouds tumble in, dump their raindrops and roll back out again. It was otherworldly…
Arcese 2010
This wine brought those memories flooding back. While Piedmont is so often thought of for its reds like the great Barolos and Barbarescos, I found the whites to be eye-opening and unique.
Golden yellow (if this is the color of your pee, you need to drink some water) with notes of pear skin and honeyed apricots on the nose. Medium plus to full body, unctuous in the mouth. The vibrant acidity, though, is stunning like a taut, electric guitar string. Reminiscent of white peach syrup but with a vibrant nerve sinewing through that makes it dance on the palate.
A blend of Favorita, Arneis, Cortese, Sauvignon Blanc grapes, it is a true “mash up” (Arcese). The Favorita grape, a native to Piedmont, gives the blend its mouthwatering acidity, the Arneis adds a bit of the pear notes and the Cortese rounds it all out for the win.
This is some tasty stuff, and clocking in at under $20/bottle retail, the Queen is sure to be smuggling some away for a rainy day.
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