From: Varigotti, Liguria, Italy
Varietal: Lumassina
Taste: This wine offers a light-bodied and fresh experience, captivating with vibrant aromas of muscat grapes and white flowers that suggest sweetness, yet it remains delightfully dry. The palate blends crisp lemon with subtle honeysuckle and ripe peaches, enriched by a hint of tropical passionfruit and the soft nuttiness of Marcona almonds. A distinctive seawater finish adds a refreshing briny complexity, making each sip reminiscent of a breezy seashore.
Pairing: This wine's crisp and saline characteristics make it a perfect match for the coastal flavors of Liguria. It pairs splendidly with traditional seafood dishes, where its oceanic notes enhance the fresh, briny flavors of shellfish and grilled fish. Additionally, the wine's aromatic profile of lemon and honeysuckle complements classic Ligurian pesto's bright, herbaceous qualities. Whether drizzled over pasta or used as a sauce for fresh seafood, the pesto's basil and pine nut flavors are lifted by the wine’s freshness and subtle fruit notes. This pairing not only delights the palate but also celebrates the regional typicity of Liguria, bringing the essence of the Italian Riviera to your dining experience.
We’ve included this Pan-Seared Fish with Citrus Pesto recipe as it echos local Ligurian cuisine of the Mediterranean coast. We’ve also added a more traditional Ligurian style pesto recipe below if you’d like to experience a more traditional style of pesto of the Ligurian area - try it with some fresh pasta!
Pan-Seared Fish With Citrus Pesto
By Ali Slagle
About. Punta Crena is a winery located on the Italian Riviera, specifically in the village of Varigotti in Liguria. The winery is renowned for focusing on traditional and indigenous grape varieties, producing wines deeply connected to the local terroir and wine-making heritage.
The Ruffino family has owned and operated the winery for over 500 years, with the vineyards and traditions passed down through generations. The estate is managed by four siblings, who each play a vital role in its operation. Tommaso, the eldest, takes the lead as the managing winemaker, crafting the estate's distinctive wines. Paolo contributes his sales skills, promoting their wines far and wide. Anna is in charge of logistics, ensuring everything runs smoothly, while Nicola supports by working in both the vineyards and the winery. Their mother, Libera, formerly a formidable businesswoman, changed the family's sales approach by dealing directly with clients, moving away from the traditional merchant-controlled system. Although she now takes a more background role, Libera remains a central figure at the estate, delighting in cooking for the numerous guests and tending to the vegetable stand in the courtyard, surrounded by her playful grandchildren.
Punta Crena’s vineyards, perched on the steep hillsides of Liguria, are cared for with sustainable practices. The terraced vineyards, a traditional feature of the Ligurian landscape, make mechanical harvesting impossible. This necessitates all work to be done by hand, a labor-intensive process that reflects the family's commitment to artisanal and sustainable wine production.
The geography of Liguria is rugged, characterized by cliffs and narrow strips of coastal land. The Ruffino family vineyards are situated on terraced hillsides, an ancient form of land management that optimizes agricultural use of steep slopes and reflects the region's historical agrarian practices.
The terroir of Liguria is shaped by its unique geography and climate, characterized by a coastal setting along the Mediterranean Sea, which provides a temperate maritime climate. This moderates temperatures, ensuring mild winters and warm summers ideal for the grapes' slow ripening, allowing them to develop complex flavors and aromas. The region is predominantly mountainous and hilly, with vineyards often on steep slopes. This limits arable land and enhances vine health through excellent drainage.
The soils in Liguria are diverse, ranging from sandy loams to clay, limestone, and slate. These varied soil types influence the mineral content and water retention capabilities, affecting vine growth and the grapes' characteristics. The terrain is generally rocky and stony, which helps retain heat during the night and aids in the grapes' ripening process. Such conditions compel the vine roots to extend deeply in search of nutrients, often stressing the vines but resulting in more concentrated and flavorful grapes.
The Colline Savonesi area is situated in the hilly interior of the Savona province, away from the immediate coastal strip. This region benefits from the moderating effects of the Mediterranean but also features its distinct microclimates due to the varying elevations and terrain.
Vintage Notes: The vineyard spans 1 hectare with vines aged 11 to 21 years. The soil in the vineyard is primarily silt, which retains moisture well and subtly influences the wine's minerality and flavor profile. The fermentation process is carried out in a closed vat to preserve the grapes' primary aromas and flavors, minimizing oxygen exposure. Notably, there is no secondary fermentation before bottling and no malolactic fermentation, ensuring the wine maintains its crisp acidity and varietal purity. The wines are aged on the lees for two months, a technique that enhances complexity, body, and texture by imparting subtle yeasty and creamy notes. This method of production focuses on preserving the fresh, vibrant character of the wine, catering to those who value a clear expression of terroir and grape variety.
