Wine of the Week

There are so many wines from Italy that you could spend your whole life tasting and never get through them all. Dalla Terra is one company that seems intent on discovering the tiniest small-production vineyards, especially those that focus on the most obscure grapes the country has to offer.

One of their brightest stars is Masseria Li Veli, a winery that focuses on grapes from the boot heel of Italy. The owners describe their winemaking mission “with the aim of selecting long-forgotten indigenous varietals for making new wines, with the highest standard of quality in viticulture and winemaking.”

Talk is cheap, but when I opened this bottle of Verdecca, I was simply amazed. It is a blend of Verdeca (90%) and Fiano Minutolo (10%) grown in the Valle d’Itria. The color is a densely beautiful gold. This is no wimpy wine. We had it at dinner along with a friend from the Italian wine business who had never heard of it, just to give you an idea how obscure it is. We paired it with roasted sea bass on a bed of sweet onions and fennel and the combination was perfect. Li Veli’s wine runs around $18 and is available from any fine wine outlet. It is brand-new to the market, but definitely worth asking for.