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Don’t Let This Wine’s Little Rascal Reputation Stop You From Giving it a Chance: This $23 Find Brings Echoes of the Sea

BY // 10.18.18

The bottle arrived late last week, and I was happy to see it. It was a 2017 Roero Arneis from Vietti, and I had yet to taste this vintage. I drink wines from the Italian winery as often as I can, and they’ve given me a lot of pleasure. This one was no exception.

It’s 100 percent Arneis, and for those of you who might be unfamiliar with the grape, its origins lie in Piedmont, that enthralling region in Italy that is surrounded on three sides by the Alps and shares borders with France, Switzerland, and the regions of Lombary, Liguria, Aosta Valley and Emilia Romagna.

Arneis — which in Piemontese means “little rascal” — can be a vexing grape to cultivate and is naturally low in acidity. It’s name comes from that obstinance, but when it is made well, it is a lovely wine. The grape is  most commonly grown in the hills of Roero, northwest of Alba, and typically produces dry, full-bodied wines.

Around 70,000 years ago, the region was covered with salty water, and the soil there now is full of shells and sand. You can (or should be able to) get a hint of the sea in the wines.

Drink this wine often. (Courtesy Vietti s.r.l.)

This is certainly the case with the 2017 Vietti (the winery’s first vintage of Arneis was 1967), though my tasting companion was not as keen about that flavor profile as I was. We chilled the bottle to around 56 degrees or so (don’t drink your white wines too cold, and don’t drink your red wine too warm, please) and poured and tasted, all the while appreciating the light straw color of the wine. The tell-tale Arneis melon is present here, in a delightful manner, as are almond and citrus.

I predict that if you get a bottle of this you will want another, because it is perfect with hors d’oeuvres as well as sautéed shrimp or a salad. In short, a versatile wine with a unique and remarkable character.

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The grapes used in this vintage come from vines that are approximately 25 years old, grown in central Roero. There is no malolactic fermentation here, and everything is fermented and held in stainless steel. Alcohol is 13.5 percent, and this Roero Arneis DOCG will cost you around $23.

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