Jan Novak, the knowledgeable sommelier at Il Capriccio, one of Boston top Italian restaurants, recommended this wine to me. Jan has not only forgotten more about Italian wine than most people know, she has an incredible palate for discovery lesser-known wines. First, a bit about the label of this obscure wine. The Colli Tortonesi DOC, located in eastern Piedmont bordering Lombardy, has been known for Barbera, and more, recently, Timarosso, an alluring white grape. Although the DOC regulations permit blending other grapes with Timarosso, this one is 100 percent Timarosso, according to the importer’s website. Derthona is an area within the DOC considered by the locals to be a superior area for Timarosso. This mid-weight zesty white combines just the right amount of minerality and creaminess. Some people dismiss wines made by co-ops. That’s a mistake. Judging from this wine, the Cantina di Tortona, a co-op founded in 1931, knows what it’s doing.
Cantina di Tortona, Colli Tortonesi Bianco DOC (Piedmont, Italy) 2020
By Michael Apstein