Francesca Castaldi 'Lucia' Vino Bianco 2023
The vibe: Erbaluce! No, we didn’t sneeze into the keyboard. This is a rarely encountered Piedmontese varietal (pronounced air-bah-loo-chay). Fun to say, even more fun to drink. Piedmont is legendary for their red wines; Barolo and Barbaresco are household names, and command premiums (though whether that’s earned or not is very case by case). There are plenty of obscure varietals here though, especially white varietals, that remain relative underdogs. Originally dating back to the 17th century for use in sweet wines, Erbaluce, also known as Greco Novarese, is yet to be fully genetically traced back to its grape ancestors, though it’s similar to Arneis. Legend has it there was a goddess called Erbaluce, the love child of the Sun and the Dawn. The goddess wept tears, which caused the soil to produce Piedmont’s first Erbaluce vines. No one knows if the legend is true or not but one thing is for sure, Erbaluce is delicious! Naturally high in acid, especially in cooler years, this wine is the perfect food wine to pair with savory or spicy dishes and it’s so friggin’ refreshing, which we can appreciate this time of year!
The winemaker: Azienda Francesca Castaldi is a small estate based in the Alto Piedmonte’s Fara DOC. This is the first slope heading north from Novara that starts the Alto Piedmonte region. The Castaldi family has been farming this region since the 1700’s, but it was Francesca’s father Pierino who really threw his passion and innovations into the vineyards and wines. He was a smart and tenacious man. After World War II he managed to build his first tractor- naming it “Nobody’s son” because he built it by putting together recovery parts he took from other machines. In 1997, his daughter Francesca took over the family vineyards and started a project of renewal. In the vineyards, she changed the vineyard plots from the traditional pergola pruning system to Guyot, which was in line with some more modern growing techniques happening in other regions of Italy and beyond. She then eliminated all use of chemicals and fertilizers and is now practicing organic viticulture.
The geeky details: 100% Erbaluce (aka Greco Novarese). Harvest started during the first days of September, the grapes were hand-picked and collected in baskets. Fermentations are conducted in stainless steel tanks and the aging process happens in neutral wood barrels.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Seafood risotto! Clam spaghetti! Bucatini all’amatriciana!
Album pairing: Sven Wunder - Late Again