Azienda Agricola CornareaBased in a historic palazzo on top of a hill in Canale d'Alba, Cornarea is another property that fits our philosophy of working with family wineries with an artisan rather than a commercial mentality. In the 1970', when the Arneis grape was near extinction, Cornarea believed in its potential and was solely responsible for bringing it back into production. Within a few years time, many local producers began following Cornarea's example with great success. At the outset, Cornarea's 80,000 bottles represented 70% of the entire production of Arneis. Now over 100 producers in Italy alone are shipping over a million bottles per year. A full 50% of that wine is made from what is now known as the "Cornarea clone." Cornarea's long experience with the Arneis varietal allows this winery to consistently produce classic examples of this immensely satisfying wine. Arneis is richer in floral and tropical fruit notes than most better-known Italian whites. It is, in many ways, more similar to a red wine grape with its full body and relatively low acidity. Cornarea knows just how to allow the varietal to express its full potential. It takes advantage of the high magnesium content of their soil, which is anti-oxidative. Thus, they are able to preserve the freshness of flavor with anaerobic fermentation and very low addition of sulfur, as very little preservative effect is required. Cornarea's Arneis shows that Piemonte can produce white wines of great interest in addition to its famous reds. It remains an easy accompaniment to a wide range of foods as well as a great wine to sip all by itself. Arneis deserves wider recognition in the U.S. and Cornarea provides the textbook lesson in the varietal year after year. Wine List |
