Ligurian Liquid Sunshine: Pietra del Focolare
It’s been said that the first duty of any Italian wine is to be red. Plenty of notable regions support this dictum: Barolo, Brunello, Bardonlino and Bolgheri. And thats just the B’s! Yet, with 7900 km of coastline, and virtually no major town or city farther than 300 km from the sea, there is loads of great seafood and fish on the menu in Italy. So it makes sense that there are also some great Italian white wines to be found.
That was our hope last year, as we went prospecting for some Vermentino in Liguria, on the Mediterranean coast. And boy, did we strike pay-dirt! The newest addition to the Italian side of the CorksCru family, La Pietra del Focolare, are Vermentino specialists. And we seemed to be in sync with what you were craving - rich, golden-hued and citrus-scented wines - because our first round didn’t last long, and more than a few of you have been asking when we’d be getting more in.
So we shot Linda Salvetti a note to ask her if she had more available - fortunately, the answer was yes. We’ve got a new pile of these incredible wines arriving in the coming week or so, just in time for spring. Of course, we couldn’t help ourselves, and we added a few cases of something unique--an equally delicious and savory red wine too.
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The Colli di Luni DOC is at the southern end of Liguria, bordering Tuscany, adjacent to the marble quarries of Carrara (where Michelangelo sourced stone for his masterworks). It’s also home to La Pietra del Focolare, where the Salvetti family has been farming 13 different plots of terraced vineyards, perched among the rocky and steep “Lunar Hills” for generations.
Stefano Salvetti and Laura Angelini, started making wine in 1995 from the family’s 7 hectares of vineyards, inherited from Laura’s sharecropper grandparents. Now joined by their daughter Linda, they continue to refine their farming and winemaking. The results are bold and impressive; a lineup of Vermentino from various sites without a dull spot among them.
When we arrived at the winery last year, daughter Linda Salvetti quickly ushered us into the sparkling clean and organized production space, tucked under their home. She didn't waste time and immediately started pulling samples directly from the tanks for us to try. These wines, waiting to be bottled the following week, immediately caught our attention, and we knew we had found something special - Talk about good first impressions! The entirety of our visit was hit after hit, as Linda ran us through a masterclass on Colli di Luni.
La Pietra del Focalare seems to have it all going on: stunning terraced vineyards, diligent organic farming, precise and careful winemaking. The result of their meticulousness is start-to-finish delight in the glass. These wines are a captivating slice of the Italian coast you won’t want to miss.
'AUGUSTO' 2023 Colli di Luni DOC
Craving some liquid sunshine? Start here! Mouthwatering and bright, this jumps right out of the glass to greet you with a smile that you can’t help but return. The mineral edge of flint and oyster shells acts as a wonderful seasoning to any meal. 90% Vermentino and 10% Trebbiano. 15 cases available.
'VILLA LINDA' 2023 Colli di Luni DOC
The big sibling to the Augusto, the Villa Linda brings more concentration and intensity, with loads of floral notes, cut hay, yellow fruit and a lush mid-palate. It finishes off with a bright lemony tang and spray of sea salt. This carried us through our seaside meal from start to finish and left us wanting more. 96% Vermentino 4% Albarola. Just 6 cases available.
‘SALTAMASSO’ Colli di Luni Rosso DOC 2022
The Salvettis call this an “old-fashioned wine”, reminiscent of when their sharecropper grandparents worked the land and brought the grapes down from the vineyards on horse-drawn carts. A full-bodied blend of 60% Sangiovese, with 20% Merlot, and equal parts Massareta and Canaiolo. Potent nose of wild red fruits, plum, and cherry, and savory tobacco leaf. 36 bottles available.