Vietti’s Roero Arneis

My first formal introduction to Roero Arneis was at Cantina Vietti in the summer of 2006. I was in the Langhe region of Piedmont researching food and wine and I arranged a visit to the cantina in Castiglione Falletto. When we arrived, a small and rustic tasting room was set up just for us. There were 8 bottles on the table-7 reds and Roero Arneis. We started with Roero and I was struck by its crisp acidity and rich bouquet of grapefruit, melon, exotic fruit and floral notes. All the wines we tried that day were fabulous but it was Vietti’s Roero Arneis really stayed with me.

Roero Arneis is a white wine from Piedmont made from 100% Arneis grapes. Cultivated since the 15th century, this native fruit had nearly disappeared from the region until Cantina Vietti began experimenting with it in the late 1960s, leading to a revival that culminated a few years back when Roero Arneis was given a DOCG appellation. Due to its relative novelty and the sheer quantity of great wines that come from its corner of Piedmonte—Barolo, Barbaresco, 3 Barberas, 7 Dolcettos, Gavi, Asti Spumante, Moscato d’Asti, the list goes on and on—this stellar white seems to get lost in the shuffle and is not as widely known as it should be considering its quality, versatility, and complexity.

Its medium body, balance and acidity makes it rather versatile for pairings. Later in the trip, we would pair Arneis with vitello tonnato (chilled veal in tuna sauce), local salumi, steak tartar, tajarin al burro e salvia (homemade pasta in butter and sage sauce), and an unhealty amount of soft cheeses. Beyond these regional pairings, Arneis would complement fish or poultry and pastas with a butter or oil condiment. In fact, on tonight’s menu is a bottle of Roero with tortelli di zucca (fresh pasta stuffed with pumpkin) with butter and sage.