The Hills of Tortona

Colli Tortonesi is the southeastern corner of Italy’s Piedmont wine region, right below Monferrato and next to Gavi. Spread among the hills around Tortona, it is a geographically transitional area, sitting between the Po Plains, the northernmost reaches of the Apennines, and the Mediterranean. Thus, it has a wide range of soil types and elevations for winemakers to choose from. Its dominant red grape is that fresh, light Piedmont beauty, Barbera, and its dominant white grape is Cortese, which finds its most noted expression over in Gavi. However, a rising white star is the Timorasso grape.

Native to Colli Tortonesi and a purported favorite of Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th Century, the Timorasso grape was almost extinct by the 1980s, when Walter Massa decided to give it a try when his Cortese was under performing in his vineyards. Today, area Timorasso producers have taken the name “Derthona” for their Timorasso wines. (“Derthona” is the Roman name for Timorasso.) They hope that one day they’ll be able to have an official sub-region for the wines made from their beloved local grape.

This Friday, please join guest pourer Jose Perea from distributor Le Storie Wines to taste some wines from the hills of Tortona. This is another of our great, free walk-up tastings. Please join us any time in the hour and a half.