Italy

We chose Italy as the theme for our October Wine Club for many, many reasons. For starters, we realized soon after opening our doors the kinds of wines our customers wanted. Happily, they’re the same kinds of wines we’re into - wines with a story worth sharing and a flavor worth savoring. Natural, biodynamic, organic, sustainable, family-owned, ancient, lost varietals; wines that resonate with an unmistakable sense of place. 

It just so happened that many of these geeky, authentic, insanely delicious Italian wines became available to us soon after we opened, and we squirreled them away in our cellar to be able to offer them to you as the leaves started to drop. It also just so happened that these little beauties hailed from two specific regions: Piedmont, and Sicily - making the extremely difficult job of choosing just 8 wines from a country known for its mind-boggling microclimates - a little bit easier. We hope you are just as excited about them and the stories each bottle contains, as we are.

Next month, things get playful with a unique twist on Old World vs New World… (hint, this ain’t no Judgment of Paris)! Thank you for being a member of the World’s Best Wine Club - our wine-soaked journey is just getting started.

Claudio Mariotto - Overview 

Founded in the 1920s’ by great-grandfather Bepi, Claudio Mariotto’s family have been making wine in the Tortona hills of Piedmont for generations. Today the winery is run and managed by Claudio, with the help of his partner Rossana, his brother Marco and his mother Piera. They have 100 hectares of land, 50 of which are planted with vines. Located in the municipalities of Tortona and Sarezzano, they work solely with native grape varieties, including Freisa, Croatina, and Barbera, but their real focus, their passion, and the majority of their production is dedicated to Timorasso.

Once on the verge of extinction, Timorasso is a native Piedmontese varietal, which thanks to producers like Claudio Mariotto, is more recently seeing a revival in plantings and popularity. Rather than opting for Cortese, which was the preferred white of the area, Claudio saw potential in Timorasso and made it his mission to showcase its ability to produce premium quality wines of distinction. Claudio conducted thorough research into how to manage this notoriously difficult varietal, and in turn has become a benchmark producer of this varietal, producing authentic wines with loads of character.

Giacomo Grimaldi - Winery Overview

Giacomo Grimaldi is a family-run winery in Piemonte, Italy with a rich legacy dating back to its founding in 1930 by Ernesto Grimaldi. The estate originally began as a small operation, bottling only a limited amount of wine for a local clientele while most grapes were sold in bulk. The transition into estate-bottled wine production occurred in 1996, when Ferruccio Grimaldi, son of Giacomo, decided to focus on crafting wines solely from family-owned vineyards. He greatly expanded the vineyard holdings from 1.5 to 10 hectares, acquiring prime sites in the Barolo region and emphasizing the area’s potential for producing world-class Barolo.

Ferruccio Grimaldi and his son Alberto carry forward a philosophy of respect for tradition while embracing quality-driven practices in viticulture and winemaking. All fruit is sourced from their own holdings, and the family is focused on classic expressions of the Langhe and Roero territories.

While Grimaldi is renowned for Barolo, when I tasted their astonishing Sauvignon, I knew it must be included in our Italy Wine Club offering. One doesn’t typically think of Piemonte when in the mood for a Sauvignon Blanc, but this is one unlike any other. This is partly due to the long, slow ripening this unique terroir offers, with its gently rolling, fog-lined hills embedded with classical soils comprised of clay, limestone, and Sant’Agata fossil marl; but has a lot to do with the inclusion of Sauvignon Gris, a pinkish-gray mutation of Sauvignon Blanc. This strain produces wines that are fuller-bodied and richer in texture than Sauvignon Blanc, with more spice and ripe fruit than the citrus and herbal notes more common in Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a marriage made in heaven!

Silvio Morando - Overview

“The Grignolino Wizard” 

Located in Costigliole d'Asti in Piemonte, the Morando family has deep roots in the region with a tradition of winemaking that began by revitalizing old vineyards and preserving indigenous grapes. Dedicated to restoring old vineyards affected by phylloxera and conserving native varieties such as Grignolino and Ruchè, the Morando family has been committed to certified organic farming for over 25 years. They cultivate around 15 hectares of vineyards near Vignale Monferrato, planted with Barbera, Grignolino, and Bonarda. Their farming practices emphasize preserving soil health and biodiversity, and they have recently begun experimenting with biodynamic techniques to further enhance vineyard vitality.​

Their vineyards are located on limestone soils with fossil outcroppings, featuring south to southwest exposures at about 750 feet elevation. Organic practices include banning chemical pesticides and fertilizers in favor of natural alternatives like sulfur, copper-based products, manure, and compost. They also sow leguminous plants between vine rows and use biological pest control where possible. The goal is to maintain a balanced ecosystem in the vineyard, promoting sustainability and longevity for the land they cultivate.​

Grignolino is an indigenous red grape variety with deep roots in the Piedmont region of Italy, particularly in the Monferrato hills between Asti and Casale. The name "Grignolino" likely derives from the Piedmontese word "grignolè," meaning seeds, referencing the grape’s characteristic abundance of pips that contribute to a distinctive bitter tannin profile. Historically, Grignolino was well-regarded since at least the 13th century, valued for its pale, translucent color and light mouthfeel—qualities that distinguished it from the region’s richer, heavier wines. It enjoyed high demand and prices comparable to Barolo during earlier centuries but fell out of fashion during the 1970s when sweeter wines became more popular.

The grape is mainly cultivated in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti within the Monferrato region, with two primary appellations: Grignolino d’Asti and Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. Soil differences significantly influence the wine’s character: sandy soils in the Asti area produce lighter, more perfumed wines, while marly clay and calcareous soils in Monferrato Casalese yield wines with greater heft and richness. Though overshadowed by more famous Piedmontese grapes like Nebbiolo and Barbera, Grignolino is experiencing a revival thanks to growing interest in native varieties and fresher wine styles.

Enrico Serafino - Overview

Enrico Serafino winery, founded in 1878 in Canale d’Alba within the Roero region of Piemonte, is the oldest winery in the area and has a rich history of winemaking including Barolo, Barbera d’Alba, Nebbiolo d’Alba, and sparkling wines. The winery has a modern outlook but respects its heritage and terroirs, working with traditional varieties and innovative projects. 

Nebbiolo is an ancient variety, with the earliest mention dating back to 1292 in Alba in Piemonte. Picotener is a sub-variety (a rare, ancient sub-variety of Nebbiolo) of Nebbiolo, once widely propagated,  yet with its very low yield and vine vigor it became nearly extinct.

Enrico Serafino has been a pioneer in reviving Picotener in the Langhe’s acclaimed terroir, producing wines that balance elegance and complexity.