I was lucky enough to try Rarefratte Bianco at Dame Restaurant, a wonderful Italian restaurant in Portland, OR. The wine went beautifully with our Italian dinner. I loved it so much that I asked Cherries & Figs, my favorite wine store in Portland, to order some bottles for me. Last night we tried this Venetian wine with a spicy peanut sauce pasta dish, and it was great. I think this wine will go with a lot of different dishes. Let’s explore it now.
About Rarefratte Bianco
Rarefratte means raw wine.
Liner and Elsen describe the wine as follows: “A curious blend of grapes native to the hillside vineyards of Breganze in the Veneto: Gruaja, Ottocai, Pedevenda, Sciampagna, Groppella and Vespaiola. Winemaker Christian Moresco has made it his mission to save these grapes from extinction in a region where grapes like Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay are more popular. This is a sharp and savory wine, with flinty aromas of preserved lemons, tangerine, smoky soil, and apricot. The palate strikes a balance between fruit and minerality, with honeydew melon, lemon curd, salt, and gentian root.”
The description is perfect. Sharp and savory – yes. Flinty aromas of preserved lemons, tangerine, smoky soil and apricot – yes. Fruit and minerality balance – yes. Melon – yes.
The mystery to me is a bunch of grapes I’ve never heard of.
About the Winery
SOS Wines tells us that “in 2012, Cristian Moresco began his adventure, taking over the family vineyards and converting them to organic. The project…[involved] the recovery of 6 ancient grape varieties from the Breganze area (Gruaja, Ottocai, Pedevenda, Sciampagna, Groppella and Vespaiola) through the process of ‘mass selection’ of the varieties.”
I looked up these grapes and found almost no information. I learned from Vinorandum that “Gruaja is a very rare red grape variety found in the North East of Italy. There are a handful of historical references to its ability to produce fine wines.“
ItalyAbroad told me that Pedevenda is one of the oldest grape varieties.
If you have the opportunity to try Rarefratte Bianco,, please do so. I think you will love it.
