Master Somm Selection: Ciao, Vino Italiano
From the rescued vineyards of Piedmont's Roero hills to the alpine vines of Trentino, Italy offers a staggering diversity of terroirs and indigenous grape varieties. This six-bottle journey opens with two aromatic whites, moves through a high-altitude mountain Sangiovese and an elegant Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo, builds through a classic Brunello di Montalcino, and finishes with a cellar-worthy Teroldego from the Dolomites. Six regions, six distinct stories, a definitive tour of Italy's range.
Cornarea, Roero Arneis, Piedmont
"The Rescued Native"
In 1974, Giampiero Bovone and Francesca Rapetti bought the Cornarea hill above Canale with an audacious goal: replant Arneis at scale on a site where the grape had nearly vanished, scarred by difficult fermentations and a fading reputation. Their gamble worked, helping lead Arneis from near-extinction to Roero Arneis DOCG status in 2005. Grown on old vines rooted in magnesium-rich former seabed soils, this dry, aromatic white delivers generous fruit and white flowers wrapped around a long, salty, almond-tinged finish.
Pair with: Hamachi crudo finished with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon.
Vadiaperti, Fiano di Avellino, Campania
"The Insider's Fiano"
Founded by Antonio Troisi in the 1980s and now run by his son Raffaele, Vadiaperti has spent decades championing a traditional, terroir-driven Fiano from the cool, elevated hills of Montefredane in Irpinia. Dramatic diurnal swings and mineral-rich volcanic soils give this bottling real aromatic intensity and longevity: Meyer lemon and white flowers up front, with the savory almond, hazelnut, and smoky mineral edge that separates serious Fiano from the rest.
Pair with: Linguine alle vongole finished with a splash of white wine and chili flake.
Villa Papiano, "Papesse", Modigliana, Sangiovese di Romagna
"The High-Altitude Sangiovese"
At over 500 meters in Modigliana's forested Apennine hills, this is Romagna's highest Sangiovese vineyard, farmed organically and biodynamically by the Bordini siblings on sandstone and marl soils. A field blend of 95% Sangiovese with 5% Balsamina and Negretto, fermented with native yeasts and aged only in cement — no oak. The altitude trades Tuscany's ripe cherry for something more electric: blood orange, pomegranate, and forest berries over a savory, mouth-cleansing snap of mountain acidity.
Pair with: A board of soppressata and coppa with pickled vegetables.
Tiziano Mazzoni, "Ghemme dei Mazzoni", Alto Piemonte
"Nebbiolo's Gentler Face"
Ghemme was the commercial engine of Piedmontese wine long before Barolo and Barbaresco existed, and in this cool, glacially-influenced corner along the Sesia River, Nebbiolo (locally “Spanna”) takes on a more finely etched personality. Tiziano Mazzoni returned to his family's abandoned vineyards in 1999 and now farms just 4.5 organic hectares, aging this single-vineyard bottling nearly two years in large French oak casks before an unfined, unfiltered bottling. Expect deep garnet color, red cherry, plum, rose petal, and blood orange — medium-bodied and tightly structured, Nebbiolo built for finesse rather than force.
Pair with: Roast guinea hen stuffed with black truffle and thyme.
Bramante Cosimi, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany
"The Humble Benchmark"
Rudy Cosimi farms sandy, fossil-rich soils in Montalcino planted by his father in 1975, back when fewer than 30 producers worked the entire region — a humble family history for a wine that now stands toe-to-toe with far pricier neighbors. This 2021, drawn from 50-year-old vines, opens with ripe cherry, blood orange, crushed violet, and dried Tuscan herbs. Medium-to-full bodied, with mouth-watering acidity and fine, velvety tannins sweeping into a long, dusty-mineral finish.
Pair with: A char-grilled bistecca alla Fiorentina, rare and rested.
Foradori, "Granato", Teroldego, Trentino-Alto Adige
"The Powerhouse Anchor"
Elisabetta Foradori's "Granato" is the global benchmark for Teroldego, Trentino's native grape, sourced from 70- to 85-year-old pergola-trained vines in the alluvial, limestone-gravel soils of Mezzolombardo. Biodynamically farmed and Demeter certified, the 2023 earned 98 points from James Suckling and 96 from both Vinous and Wine Spectator. Deep cassis, graphite, and black olive are anchored by chalky tannins and lifted violets — a serious, structured red built to cellar for 20-plus years.
Pair with: Slow-braised short rib over a rich mushroom polenta.
