The obscure indigenous pelaverga grape is grown exclusively in and around the small town of Verduno (less than 600 inhabitants) in the Piedmont region of Italy. For many decades it was viewed as a simple blending grape, good to mix with barbera and dolcetto for local consumption, but not much more. The more lucrative local grape was nebbiolo which gradually saw its planting increase as pelaverga dwindled. Luckily, back in 1972, Gabriella Burlotto (of the famous Castello di Verduno estate) planted a section of her family's vineyard to Pelaverga; a move which helped introduce single-varietal bottlings in the region. In the past 20 years or so, American somms started taking to the grape as an Italian alternative to Beaujolais (this also coincided with the growing popularity of pineau d'aunis & poulsard for similar reasons). Today, there's still less than 20 hectares of pelaverga, making this now popular wine a bit harder to source. We're featuring Giacomo Ascheri's version, which is a light, bright and slightly spicy rendition that will do best with a chill. Grilled meats and veggies would be a good way to go.

Azienda Agricola la Gironda is a family-owned estate in Nizza Monferrato, a small commune in the Asti province of Piedmont. Husband and wife team Alberto and Susanna Galandrino farm 7 hectares of vines that have been in her family for generations. The couple's focus had been on manufacturing winemaking machinery until the year 2000, when they pivoted to producing their own wines, returning to the original family business with a passion. They've been certified sustainable since 2004, work manually in the vineyards and take a low intervention approach in the cellar. "La Lippa" is most summery of their three bottlings of pure barbera. The name refers to a childhood game played with sticks (pictured on the label) and the wine is intended to embody this young, carefree spirit. What are we having; pizza, pasta, BBQ, salami and crusty bread? Chill it down and enjoy!