Ricossa Roero Arneis

Surrounded by the snowy capped Alps the wine region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy looks a little like something from The Sound of Music! This is the native home of the awesome Arneis variety – pronounced “ar-nay-ss” it translates to “the little rascal” and that’s because it’s a tricky little bugger of a grape to grow!

It nearly went extinct back in the 1970s but Arneis has made a comeback – initially as a blended wine with Nebbiolo but now starring as a single varietal wine. Regions of the wine world like California, Australia and New Zealand have had good success with it but the Roero Hills in Piedmont is its true home, where this Ricossa Roero Arneis comes from.

Ricossa’s history dates back to the 1800s when Lorenzo Ricossa started a distillery which grew into the international brand Martini. These days the Ricossa wine estate is part of the MGM Mondo del Vino wine group. They’re a world renowned wine company of almost 30 years and the first in Europe to embrace the EU green policy, they’re previous winners of No.1 European Wine Producer at one of the largest wine award shows in Europe, the Mundus Vini Awards.

This is a dry, delicate, fresh white wine that’ll appeal to lovers of a drier style Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio. If you’re pairing with food serve it nicely chilled and stick with light pastas, creamy risotto, seared scallops or fish in light and creamy sauces.