You can be forgiven for never having heard of the Pelaverga Piccolo grape. It’s cultivated only in Verduno, a very small part of Piemonte just down the northern slope of La Morra hill in Barolo. It’s been in the ground here 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 carafes that lubricated the card games and social gatherings of the Langhe. And its unique spiciness was just perfect with local raw Bra sausages, carne cruda, bagna cauda and the like.

Over time, though, because it was so persnickety to grow and even harder to make, Pelaverga drifted toward extinction and was well on its way out when Elisa Burlotto, daughter of the famed Commandatorie, convinced her dad in the late ‘60s to plant a small parcel to make the family’s ‘Easter wine.’ The grape doesn’t have much color or body, but what it lacks in tannin and heft, it makes up for in delightful, distinctive aromatics. At Alessandria, one of the prime movers in the renaissance of the variety, they call it Speziale, the local description for the distinctive pepper and spice of Pelaverga. Theirs leans toward wild strawberry with a dash of plum jam and decidedly herbal notes like rosemary, wild thyme and anise with a dash of freshly cracked 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 any feast this year.

Even though the DOC is now twenty years old, it has taken a decade or so for Pelaverga to take on a sort of life of its own. It’s now very much valued for its food-friendliness, and there are now several other Verduno producers who have added it to their portfolios. You can even find it on deep Piemonte lists in some fine restaurants here in the States. It’s people like the Alessandrias, at both Fratelli Alessandria and 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.

Alessandria’s 2024 is another beauty, a light-colored but extremely aromatic, very savory and very lively red that caresses rather than bludgeons. 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 later this fall. Or lightly chill a bottle and pop it with a plate of smoked meats. It’s perfect! It’s also a very fine value.