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 a 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.  Light and bright, it was just the right thing 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, Pelaverga drifted towards extinction, and was well on its way out, the story goes, 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 alpine strawberry with a dash of plum jam and very distinctive herbal notes like rosemary, wild thyme and anise that finishes 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 unique, fun flavors and immediate accessibility, and there are now several other Verduno producers who have planted it to add to their portfolios. These days, you can even find it on well-curated Piemonte lists in some fine restaurants here in the States.  And, even if you are already a confirmed fan of Pelaverga, you can also be forgiven for not knowing that the inimitable Matteo Ascheri makes one of the best!  The Ascheris have a great vineyard right on the Verduno-La Morra border and farm a tiny parcel of old Pelaverga that Matteo has been making into a tiny bit of wine every vintage, donating a portion of its proceeds to Gusto della Solidarieta, a charity the Ascheris have long supported.  Matteo (who I know well from the Order of knights to which we both belong) was badgered to bottle some with a label that could be exported and he obliged us, decking it out in the same electric blue associated with the charity.  The 2024 is finally here and it’s a beauty!  It’s, indeed, a very pale red- closer to a Rose in color, but extremely pretty aromatically; very savory and very lively on the palate. It caresses rather than bludgeons with charm and is the ultimate partner to all kinds of food.  I mean, if it works for Easter feasts in Verduno, imagine how good it will be with your backyard barbecue or, even better, your Thanksgiving dinner later this fall!  We drank a bottle this past Saturday- right out of the cooler- with some smuggled Salumi di Cinghiale from Tuscany and bruschetta with fava beans and tomatoes.  It was perfect!  And you gotta love the label!  Very highly recommended.