Winemaker Notes
Winemaker Alessandra Bodda’s daughter Martina recommends a regional antipasto, vitello tonnato, with her family’s lemony and refreshing Arneis. Thinly slice a chilled slow-cooked veal shoulder and top with the magic sauce of 200 grams tuna in oil, three cured anchovy fillets, two tablespoons of capers, two hard-boiled egg yolks, olive oil, and the juice of one lemon, blitzed until smooth. Like the wine, it’s a good starter for parties or a lazy Sunday lunch.
Yielding a dry and subtly scented wine, Arneis is the star white grape of Piedmont. Though the grape has been local to Roero since the 1400s, it didn’t experience real popularity until the 1980s when local demand for white wine exploded. Somm Secret—A few key Roero producers are also focusing on exploring the ageability of high quality Arneis. It is only grown outside of Piedmont to a very limited extent.
Even to this day, the Roero folklore lives on about witchcraft lurking behind its dramatic contours and obscure woods—but these stories only add to the region’s allure and charm. Actually today Roero winemakers are some of the most astute and motivated in Piedmont. While the white Arneis has attracted global attention for some time, now Roero Nebbiolo wines (elevated to the same DOCG status as Barolo and Barbaresco) are making a name for themselves. Keep an eye on any labeled with the vineyard, Valmaggiore, as Barolo producers have been investing here for years. If you’re looking for hidden gems, this is your region!