If you love the diversity of Italian wine as I do, a bottle like today’s is the one that jumps off the wine list page—the one that grabs you by the lapels and demands to be ordered. No one does “affordable rarities” quite like Italy, and within Italy, the Piedmont region is home to a staggering array of hyper-local grapes. Grignolino is one such variety, found in the Monferrato hills in Piedmont’s Asti province and practically nowhere else.
It is light and bright and spicy, loaded with floral aromas and wild, red-berried fruit—a picnic red with a lot more under the hood than meets the eye. I’ve never much liked the word “charming” as a wine descriptor, but I’d be hard-pressed for a better way to describe this one: It will charm you, and intrigue you, and challenge you to think of something analogous from someplace else. The closest you’re likely to get is probably someplace else in Italy (Frappato from Sicily is a kindred spirit), but that, in the end, is the appeal. This is a red for those who’ve been there, done that—the wine adventurers who follow the call of the wild. Is that you? It’s me for sure, and this peppy 2017—from one of Italy’s legendary wine families, no less—is really hitting the spot!
For all you fellow Italian wine travelers out there, there’s some verbiage on this wine’s label that will be instantly familiar. First, there’s the family behind the bottle: the Incisa della Rocchetta clan, a noble family with roots (and vast land holdings) in Monferrato going back centuries. A generation ago, the Marquis (Marchese) Mario Incisa della Rocchetta married the Countess Clarice della Gherardesca, moved to Bolgheri in Tuscany, and, on Clarice’s family’s land, created the iconic “Super Tuscan,” Sassicaia. Of course, there were other Incisas to keep the historic family winery in Piedmont in operation, but recent generations have stepped up efforts to increase recognition for their wines on the world stage.
You know you’re a noble family when the town you live in is part of your name, but the village of Rocchetta Tanaro, a half-hour east of Asti, is also home to another “noble” wine name: Bologna. The late Giacomo Bologna brought fame to Rocchetta Tanaro with “Bricco dell’Uccellone” and other award-winning reds, which took the widely dissed Barbera grape to heights it hadn’t previously reached. Barbera has emerged as the principal grape variety in the broader Monferrato region, but Grignolino preceded it in the area as a grape and wine of note. At one time, its reputation rivaled that of Nebbiolo, and while its overall surface area has been drastically reduced over the years, it still has its partisans. Donato Lanati, the consulting enologist for Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, is said to have written his enology school thesis about Grignolino (this nugget culled from Ian D’Agata’s exhaustive book, “Native Grapes of Italy”).
The name Grignolino is derived from a Piedmontese dialect word for “pip,” or “seed,” as it is a variety with lots of seeds, giving it an extra jolt of tannin. At the same time, Grignolino is thin-skinned and not deep in color pigmentation or extract, so it has tended to take a back seat to the more deeply hued, richly fruited Barbera. But its considerable charms—bright, floral aromatics, refreshing tart strawberry fruit—have not gone unnoticed. Some subscribers may recall that Grignolino dominated the first Napa vineyard Joe Heitz purchased in the early 1960s (Heitz Cellars still makes sought-after Grignolino red and rosé). Generally speaking, however, Grignolino has not strayed far from home—like so many native Italian grapes, it’s not just region-specific but province-specific!
With average annual production topping out at about 600 cases, Incisa della Rocchetta’s Grignolino is exceptionally well-priced given its relative scarcity. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, with a relatively short maceration (6 days) on its skins, this is a light, tangy style of red designed for near-term consumption. Somewhere along the line, Grignolino acquired the nickname “The Anarchic Prince of Piedmont,” and I couldn’t say it better: In the glass, it’s a translucent garnet-pink with a tiny hint of brick orange, with highly perfumed aromas of wild strawberry, cranberry, maraschino cherry, raspberries, rose petals, white pepper, and a hint of leather. It is light-bodied, mouthwateringly fresh, and usually low in alcohol, although it’s worth noting that the a.b.v. climbed a little higher in ’17. There’s plenty of acidity to carry it, but regardless, serve it on the cooler side (55-60 degrees) in Burgundy stems to highlight its bright fruit and maximize refreshment. This will make a perfect burger wine—not only would it be at home in your cooler next to the beers and sodas, it has enough spice, savor, and backbone to partner with a healthy slab of ground beef. Get yourself a healthy supply of this utterly beguiling red. You will not regret it!
