Bianchi by the Glass
Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Etna Bianco 2023
Producer: Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Grapes: Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico, Minnella
Region: Sicily
Vintage: 2023
The Terre Nere estate has roughly 43 hectares of vineyards, along with 150 olive trees. 500,000 years of volcanic eruptions have created endless soil variation, many of them radical. The soil at Terre Nere is mostly volcanic ash speckled by black pumice and peppered with abundant volcanic rock. The weather variations in the area are profound and generally characterized by exposure, altitude, and ‘airiness,’ defined here as the character of a well-exposed vineyard not protected by hills, and therefore open to the cooling and drying effects of the wind. Above all else, the extraordinary elevation yields dramatic temperature variations between night and day, making the wines of Etna fine and elegant, devoid of the heat and overripe flavors that usually define southern wines.
Honeyed florals, candied ginger, hints of fennel and crushed green apples form a spicy and inviting bouquet. Ripe orchard fruit against a core of salty minerals and savory spices as a wave of acidity resets the palate. The finish is supersavory and tense, leaving a pleasantly sour tinge of citrus that puckers the cheeks.
Roero Arneis, Vietti, 2024
Producer: Vietti
Grape: Arneis
Region: Piemonte
Vintage: 2024
The grapes are from selected vineyards, characterized by limestone- and clay-rich soil, in the municipality of Santo Stefano Roero in the heart of the Roero region. The average age of the Guyot-cultivated vines is around 31 years and the average density per hectare is 4,500-5,000 plants.
The grapes are harvested by hand around early September. After destemming and gentle pressing, fermentation, which is very slow to maintain the fresh and intense fruity flavor, takes place in steel containers. Halfway through the fermentation, the tank is hermetically sealed in order to reabsorb a small amount of natural CO2. This wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Ageing: the wine remains on the lees in steel tanks until it is time to bottle it.
Straw-yellow color with fresh floral, citrus and melon aromas, and mineral and almond notes. A dry, medium-bodied wine with fresh acidity. Well-balanced, elegant and with good complexity and persistence.
Vernaccia San Gimignano, Montenidoli 2023
Producer: Montenidoli
Grape: Vernaccia
Region: Tuscany
Vintage: 2023
Montenidoli is a mountain in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Most of it is covered with trees, but there are a few hectares of vines planted in the same location where the Etruscans made wine thousands of years ago. Later came the Romans, who did the same, and then the Knights Templar. The vines then fell into disuse, only to be reclaimed in 1965, and farmed naturally and biodynamically by Elisabetta Faguioli, who continues to make the wines at Montenidoli to this day. Round, savory, and fresh, with flavors of ripe yellow peach, mature yellow apple, lemon drop, toasted almond, flinty mineral, and an earthy note of tilled soil.
Elegant style with notes of ripe lemons and melon, remaining dry on the finish with bright acidity. Excellent as an aperitif or with lighter fare, verdure.
Salento Verdeca Petraluce, Castello Monaci 2023
Producer: Castello Monaci
Grape: Verdeca
Region: Puglia
Vintage: 2023
Verdeca is an indigenous variety of Puglia that is perfect for warmer weather. Grown in vineyards just off the sea, saline and seaside notes are expressive in this vibrant, mineral white. Petraluce refers to the light-colored stones that litter the vineyards and reflect the sun’s intense Puglian heat.
The grapes ripen and are picked in September. After crushing and soft-pressing, they ferment at a controlled temperature in steel vats. The wine then ages on its lees until the beginning of February; this is followed by bottling and further aging in the bottle for 2 months.
The bouquet is intense and delicate with hints of fruit and flowers while the finish is fresh, soft and persistent.