Winemaker Notes
Punta Crena’s Mataòssu vines are old—planted in 1930—and face the sea, and there’s a windswept quality to the wine. It has a spicy nose, like aromatic wild herbs and flowers, tough and stunted from the constant marine breeze. Underneath lies a hint of ripe pear. In the glass, it’s lean, bracing, and tangy—just what you want when digging into a plate of fried calamari.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
Forming a crescent along Italy’s northwestern Mediterranean coast, Liguria is one of the country’s smallest regions. Though its ports, Genoa and Savona have welcomed foreign influence for centuries, the region today is experiencing a fresh interest in its own indigenous varieties. Liguria commits large efforts to the white Vermentino (also called Pigato) and the red varieties Rossese, Sangiovese and Dolcetto (also called Ormeasco in Liguria).
Liguria has no shortage of dizzyingly steep, coastal vineyards. On its eastern end in Cinqueterre, Vermentino grows along cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. On its west, bordering France, terraced, seaside vineyards are home to Rossese di Dolceacqua, Liguria’s powerful yet highly aromatic red.