The wines of the far West of Liguria
Vermentino
The origins of this grape variety, which we have data of its presence in Liguria since 1300, are quite vague. In the nineteenth century one of the most authoritative experts on the subject, Gallesio, described it so: “Vermentino was the Genoese’s favorite grape variety. It enjoyed of the most extended reputation between the varieties grown from Ventimiglia to Sarzana due to its fertility, early maturity, sweetness and quality of the wine that it produces. All this creates a set of qualities hard to find in another grape variety. It produces a dry, mature and delicate wine that looks like those of the Rhine in Germany “. Its general characteristics are a lovely pale yellow color with intense notes of fresh fruit (tropical fruit, white peach, apple), of Mediterranean maquis and elderflowers. It has a good structure, a nice alcoholic content supported by a good freshness and sapidity with the final characteristic bitter aftertaste. It’s a wine that should be drunk within 2-3 years after harvest.
Vermentino of the Ligurian West Coast
It’s present minimum to 95% in the hilly areas of the provinces of Savona and Imperia. It has often fragrances of fresh fruit, forest and sage notes. Very often well balanced between softness, freshness and sapidity and has an average of 12° alcohol. Vermentino, due to its characteristics of sapidity and freshness, matches very well with the Ligurian cuisine based on fish and herbs: seafood appetizers, fried whitebait, trofie with pesto, fresh fish baked or steamed, ravioli fish broth.
Its name derives from the dialect “pigau” which means the small spot of rust that appears on the mature berries. It’s one of the queens of Liguria grapes and it is present in the provinces of Imperia, Savona and Genoa. It has a DOC of its own: the Ligurian West Coast Pigato. The greater cultivation areas of the Imperia zone are the Arroscia Valley, Ranzo, Borghetto and Aquila, the Nervia Valley and the hills close to Diano Marina. Its characteristic fragrances are those of ripe fruit and especially peach, light notes of honey and mostly notes of Mediterranean herbs such as sage and sometimes basil and musk. It has a discreet alcohol content with mineral notes, an everpresent salty aroma and in the end you can recognize it by the delightful bitter taste that reminds us of the bitter almond or the peach pit. It’s ‘a wine that can be superbly matched with the Ligurian cuisine: trofiette or linguine with pesto, raw egg-mushrooms, the Ligurian sea bass or sea bream, the classic Ligurian filled vegetables, risotto with mushrooms, steamed shrimps and vegetables pies. It is served cool at a temperature of 8°- 10° C.
It’s the principal red grape of Liguria, with a particular predilection for the West Coast. In this strip of land the principal grape is Rossese of Dolceacqua, so named by the ancient medieval stronghold of the Doria family. Its origins are lost in time and it seems that the Doria family made it get to Dolceacqua during one of their frequent raids into neighboring France. Around 1600, Rossese live the moment of greatest glory and Napoleon, during a visit to the ancient house of Doria family appreciated it so much that he made send several barrels of it both to Paris both to accompany his military campaigns in Italy.
The wine is fruity, with delicate hints of violets and berries with a light and pleasantly bitter end, normally vigorous and with good structure with a light tannic vein.
There is also in the superior type, put on the market after a one year aging, with a alcohol content of 13°.
To enhance its fragrance, it is important to keep proper serving temperature, which should be between 14 ° and 16 ° for young wines, and between 15° and 17° for the more mature wines, where alcohol is already mixed with other components.
Massimo Sacco, Chef sommelier.
