Favorita, for those who like their Italian whites, is the mountain cousin of the Vermentino grape of coastal Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia. Without the native saltiness so associated with its beach-dwelling relatives, it can seem, in uninspired hands, downright bland, and is often the stuff one finds in the glasses of the domino-playing old guys at the café. Fletcher, though, unbeholden as he is to regional tradition, grows his Favorita in an organically farmed 60-year-old vineyard near Alba. Picked over several turns, the first for acidity and the second for fruit intensity, he whole-bunch pressed the grapes and fermented them on their native yeasts in old barriques for a month and then aged the wine for nine months in old French oak casks before bottling it unfined and unfiltered. That’s a lot of effort employed to make a wine that’s usually fermented in whatever’s handy, settled for a few months and sold to the local bars in 20-liter carboys.

The results, as you will see, are worth it. Bright, fresh and aromatic, there is a lovely peachy character to the fruit but also a vein of wintergreen and lemon verbena and plenty of mountain mineral. We love it! Drink it all on its own or with all kinds of fresh salads, soft cheeses or a platter of oysters. Just perfect. Italian style with an Australian accent, this is another MUST-TRY!