My first foray into the region was in 1989. Since then, I have traveled through it many times on my way from Piedmont to Tuscany, but I have also stopped there and delved into the area, the food, the wine, the people. The air. The sea. The respite from the road, time to catch one’s breath and reflect upon all that has transpired. And if one stays there long enough, a little miracle will occur. Liguria will take you under her wing.
One trip to Liguria was more to the inland, in the Imperia province, which is wild, rustic, almost feral. Another side of Liguria, the coastline, has attracted a greater number of tourists and people who want to live near the sea, and for good reasons. It is the Italian Riviera, as the appellation name suggests. Also, the required visit (and for some, hiking) of the Cinque Terre, thanks to the likes of Rick Steves and Stanley Tucci.
The Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC is a small appellation by Italian standards, large by Ligurian. It straddles the coast from Genoa to the French border, and to many it is prime real estate. One of the most beautiful areas in the world, it ranges from flat to steeply terraced topography. Weather year round is unbeatable. A fantastic place to live, as a human and as a grapevine.
Last week I was talking with a local wine importer and noticed he had two new wines on the shelves of the wine shop from the Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC, a Pigato and a Rossese. I’d had experience with bringing Pigato to the US, way back in 1982. I was an uphill slog and for whatever reason, the effort never took hold. Some of my clients complained that the name Pigato, was off-putting. They said the same thing about Vermentino. I relayed the feedback to my importer at the time. His response was “Such ignorant Americans.” I had to live with the Americans, so we moved on to other things, like Montepulciano and Trebbiano from Abruzzo, where we had much greater acceptance and success.
Still, I thought it a shame that these wines hadn’t made it in America. They were so lively and food friendly. Now, 40+ years later, it’s a whole ‘nother story. Vermentino is quite the rage these days. And Pigato, well, Pigato is making its way through the crowd.
Rossese. I recall my first foray into the land of Rossese. We were in the province of Imperia and visiting a winery, Terre Bianche, near the village of Dolceacqua. Here was a very dramatic place, lots of steep hills and gorgeous vistas. And the red wine, the Rossese, lit a new candle inside my little Italian wine chapel.
All to say, fine recollections. Good vibrations, we’d
say in my homeland.
The winery is the Cascina Feipu dei Massaretti near Albenga, which is a town on a stretch of the coast where the A10 Austostrada passes. Here it is flatter, but closer to the sea. The weather here, year around is California-like. It is the Italian Riviera, so what would you expect? It sounds like a nice place to put down one’s roots and live a happy life.
So, this family has done that, and the two wines that made it all the way to Dallas, Texas, were their Pigato and their Rossese. I had to try them. The labels were funny, very naïve and simple. Signs of a small family winemaking passion, not some behemoth industrial commercial venture. The Vermentino bottle was shaped like the Riesling bottles from Germany - long, tall and dark green. All things I would have told a winery years ago to try and change for the American market. Now it doesn’t matter. We’ve moved beyond those marketing notions. At least, I have. I’m more interested in what’s inside.
Well, what was inside did not disappoint.Anyway, the two wines:
The Pigato, a 2023, was vividly floral, almost exuberant. This was a wine that loudly proclaimed, “I am alive!” So Italian. It was clean, crisp and had a mouth filling character to it while not being in any way cloying. It was light-to-medium bodied and had a clean finish that said, “More!” I was smitten. We tried it over a few nights with the likes of pan sauteed scallops, mushroom cutlets ( a vegetarian dish) and turkey tenderloin that was breaded and baked and crispy (both retail for around $25).
The Rossese, also a 2023, I put a slight chill on it. It came out like a gentle autumn breeze after a scorching summer. The color was light, delicate, translucent. My initial notes were: “The steely edge of an Etna Rosso, the flowery nose of a Beaujolais and the liveliness of a Refosco - this Rossese from Liguria was a real find. I love this wine. Not dark and brooding (like most of the news lately). This is a wine to uplift and celebrate being alive.”
I’ve gone over my often self-imposed limit of 800 words (by 25%!), so I will sweep the plate so we can get on with the game.
Go get you some - Batter up!
