You can be forgiven for never having heard of the Pelgaverga Piccolo grape. It’s cultivated only in a very small part of Piemonte; in Verduno, just down the northern slope of La Morra hill in Barolo. It’s been in the ground there since time immemorial and, historically, was known primarily for producing the wine the locals actually drank instead of being bottled to sell. In the old days, it was the stuff that filled the carafes that lubricated the card games and social gatherings of the Langhe. It was just perfect with local raw Bra sausages, carne crudo, bagna cauda and the like. Over time, though, because it was so persnickety to grow and even harder to make into good wine, the plantings of Pelaverga drifted towards extinction, and was well on its way out when Elisa Burlotto, daughter of the famed Commandatorie, convinced her dad- in the late nineteen sixties, to replant a small parcel in order to continue to make the family’s ‘Easter wine.’ The grape doesn’t have much color or body, you see, but what it lacks in tannins and heft, it makes up for in its delightful, very distinctive aromatics. They lean towards wild strawberry with a dash of plum jam and very distinctive herbal notes like rosemary, wild thyme and anise with a dash of fresh black pepper at the end. And it has fantastic vibrancy and acidity. In fact, it’s a remarkable food wine, and hence the perfect candidate for the Burlottos’ Easter feasts. Over the past decade and a half or so, Pelaverga has taken on a sort of life of its own. It’s now very much valued for its food-friendliness and immediate accessibility, and there are several other Verduno producers who have planted it to add to their portfolios. And, these days, you can even find it on deep Piemonte lists in some fine restaurants here in the States. It’s the Alessandria family at Burlotto, though, who have taken the time and effort necessary to refine its cultivation (which isn’t easy) and vinification (ditto) to create a wine that maximizes Pelaverga’s many attributes. The 2023 is another beauty- a light colored but extremely aromatic, very savory and very lively red that caresses rather than bludgeons with ultimate food-friendliness. I mean, if it works for the Burlotto’s Easter feasts in Verduno, imagine how good it will be with your backyard barbecue or, even better, your Thanksgiving dinner! Or for any other feast for that matter. Or lightly chill a bottle this summer and pop it with a plate of smoked meats. It’s perfect! It’s still also a very fine value.