Salt of the Earth: La Contrada di Sorano
I was thinking the other day about the term "salt of the earth." And while I know there might be several contexts or uses, including biblical, I've always thought of this phrase when describing someone that is, quite simply, a good person. It sent me down a rabbit hole recalling the "salt of the earth" people that have touched my life — my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Mosteller, my first baseball coach Lew, a dude I worked with at the grocery store called "Dobbsy", Harry at Chehalem (where to this day is the place I met many of you that still read along here), my good friend NB, and my current neighbors, two French brothers called Jean-Claude and Pascal.
All these people have one thing in common. They're just good people. Salt of the earth.
Somewhere along the line, and without specifically realizing it, I got tuned in to this when searching for wine to import. Being a good person was always the first gauntlet to clear, and over the years perhaps I could have called our company Salt of the Earth Wines. And maybe I still could. Along with these connections came a satisfying way of doing business that I hope has found its way into our communications, and also the bottles that we import and send home with you. At a minimum, if you can't do business with good people, why bother doing it at all?
On a hot July day about 7 years ago, not unlike today as I write this, on an old farm, along a dusty unmarked road, in the Langhe hills not far from Alba, salt of the earth showed up in a way I will never forget. I had read somewhere about a young couple that had just started a winery in the frazione of Sorano, a commune of the charming village of Serralunga d'Alba, and put in a call. They agreed to see me (and the three lucky Cru Deep Divers that accompanied me) but warned us that they made very little wine, and didn't speak English.
We arrived on time and Cristina greeted us nervously. She showed me an app on her phone that would translate for us, but alas, it was a bad cell service day. Overall she was certain that the visit was ruined. But the reality was that it was just getting started. Her husband Paolo arrived wearing a perma-smile. Once Cristina explained what was going on, he looked at us and in Italian said something to the effect of, "Words are just one way of communicating. We'll be fine." And then with an even bigger smile, ushered us on our way to a winemaking introduction that I, and now Sebastien, have repeated many times. A visit to Sorano is, without question, salt of the earth in the purest, noblest way.
I wish we could all go together and enjoy new moments with these truly good people. Their easy, agreeable, compassionate, and understanding way is clearly reflected in every glass they pour. It is humans like Cristina and Paolo that easily could be added to my list above. I hope the next time you tip a glass of their beautiful wine, maybe even the one below, you'll think through your own list of "good people", filled to the brim with salt of the earth.
Barbera d’Alba
‘Bosco’ 2024
Paolo says he looks for three things in all his wines: depth, complexity, and accuracy. Even though a young bottle, and crafted to drink that way, this one checks all those boxes. You should snag at least a 6-pack, but a case of a dozen would make good sense too.
100% Barbera
From vineyards planted in 1999, located in the commune of Serralunga d’Alba
Harvested by hand and vinified with skins at cool temps for 10-15 days exclusively in stainless steel. Bottled after just 9 months
A fresh wine, fruit-forward and reminiscent of a red berry fruit salad bowl
Cheers,
Dan