This week's rare wines require us to travel through history by sea. We start from Liguria, precisely from Bonassola. Here Davide and Giuseppe revived the Ruzzese grape, a variety cultivated since 600 AD and then forgotten at the beginning of the last century. Only 1,500 plants give us a sweet wine from dried grapes, of great character and charm. The character comes from the sweetness, perfectly calibrated, made harmonious by the breezes of these lands and the salinity that comes from the sea, all elements that we find in the glass.
The charm is also given by the rediscovery of an ancient grape and wine which at a certain point (in the 1500s) became one of the most prestigious products of Italian winemaking. Congratulations to Ca' du Ferrà who rediscovered it and brought it back to life. We like the idea of sailing south by sea as we said, passing by Corsica, entering the sea of Sardinia, and arriving in the Sinis peninsula, gulf of Oristano.
Here, a few kilometres from the coast, at a vineyard planted with alberello of less than two hectares, a large Riserva di Vernaccia di Oristano is produced. Here too we find grapes rich in sugar, but then a very long ageing in half-filled barrels creates an incredible, unique, original oxidative wine. For both we offer you a culinary pairing, but for both the advice is to find a life situation to match as well: the wines will leave an indelible memory.
Rare Wines: Two great wines from Sardinia and Liguria to discover
Ruzzese Diciassettemaggio 2020
Vernaccia di Oristano Judikes Ris. 2008
selected by Gambero Rosso