“Pelaverga Piccolo” is a Rare red grape from the hills of Piedmont in northwestern Italy. From all accounts, this is Barolo country; however, as the name SPEZIALE suggests, the wine is Special. This unique wine is produced only in the commune of Verduno, with the rare indigenous grape variety Pelaverga Piccolo.
Not cheap at $60.00 for a wine you may never have heard of before. However, you are getting a unique grape variety with this slightly brambly, almost rustic wine that few lovers of Italian wine, including myself, would not know a great deal about.
Nose: This wine has an intense perfume of rose petals, rhubarb and damp dark soils, some spicy notes, and a little white pepper.
In the Mouth: It’s medium bodied with good acids and tannins just on the edge of being mouthwatering in a delicious way. With its flavours of white pepper and garden-fresh herbs, with a cranberry tang all unfamiliar to the Australian palate as is the case with this wine.
Unless people like myself tell you what we honestly think about the wines we get to taste and drink, sometimes paired with foods from the regions they come from, which is so important as it makes all the difference to the enjoyment of the wine.
You are just going to walk past this rather interesting wine and not give it a second thought, such is the shame!
Now, as I stated, this is for lovers of Italian wine; It’s not like the Australian-grown Italian grape verities.
There is a big difference in the herbal and savoury taste of Italian wine in comparison to the Australian versions.
This is a wine of reasonable power with a certain elegance about it, with its minerals and acids holding this red wine together.
For myself, it was a discovery of an old world wine produced from a grape verity I don’t think I have heard of before.
Keep it simple; Roast chicken worked exceptionally well with this wine, as would lamb or duck. It’s about the same food weight as Pinot Noir, just a little more exciting.
Something different to track down, it is out there in the independent wine stores of Melbourne.
Michael Lillis
