Emphasizing Pigato.

Gorleri Pigato

Obtaining Italy’s rarest varietals were once met with a sense of obstruction only seen in FDA regulations, import laws and the doldrums of parkway traffic. As a rule, I intend only to go far as I need to equate my daily commute with wine, but I would like to emphasize something...It’s been one difficult ride. No, it’s not the kind of journey that resurges old misgivings about bad gas mileage and untended potholes, but the ability to try new things without the uncertainty of possible enjoyments. I’ve completed enough case studies for Pelaverga, Uva Rara, Freisa, Mantonico and Cococciola, to explain why Italian wine has been so difficult to comprehend at times. Though there’s more to my travails, it has been a war of availabilities, with the only thing stopping me, being an indirect wave of consumer interest.  Like an old Venetian smuggler trying to make good on foreign wares, I present to you, one of the finest fruits from a land that everybody knows, but where only some have traveled. 

“Pigato,” a veritably misunderstood grape whose pronunciation conjures up the image of an opera clown who, by right, is less than comical. First of all,  there’s no makeup, no vibratos and especially, no juggling.Thought to have been named for its speckled exterior, the “Pighe” a.k.a. “spots,” arrive when the bunches mature. However, it’s a pretty common white wine from Liguria that exists among others hailing from its scattered, seaside terraces; whereby, the region itself rests just above the geographical knee-joint of Italy. Vineyard space is low and the winemaking is somewhat difficult due to steep, rugged hillsides that are, at times, only accessible by boat. Making the most sense out of this, the difficulty in harvesting is probably why the international market has been strained in attempt to bring it to us. 

Pigato Grapes

But it is available nonetheless...and good thing too, because the limestone soils and seaside climate pinpoints this complex white that does not overcompensate for say, a “Vermentino” that somehow, has garnered more popularity in North America. The “Riviera Ligure di Ponente” Denomination covers some reds, but the remarkable thing, is that the fuss could be better made for the ruddy little white varietal that for some time, I’ve been pretty excited about. Think saline, piney notes accompanied by citrusy drops of lime cordial and sauteed lemongrass. Nonetheless, a mid-weight profile is not uncommon, but ultimately the best part of most Pigato, which can finish with a subtle, feathery finish that suggests a hidden creaminess. Poggio De Gorleri makes one that has all the precedents for the cultivar, but adds that interesting touch of mineral. 

Seafood works exceptionally well, considering there’s a point to which Pinot Grigio, Greco, and Falanghina cannot be relied upon all the time; considerably so, even when the perfume of bivalves and swordfish can be flowing through the undertows of the nose. Those who suffer from Tilapia syndrome can instantly augment a meal that would, in other mindsets, seem boring and unjustified. I have had enough of mild sea-fare, but more so, I have disliked too many whites that are definitively puerile, or overly citric. I think I’ve actually found something other than a Rhone white that I can bring home without the threat of aggressive fruit, or acidic brightness. 

What an equilibrium to be had, what a burden to uphold. 

Brian Maniotis

Westchester Wine Warehouse Team

Visit us @: westchesterwine.com