A Private Tasting of Vietti Wines

I feel very special. I was invited to attend a private tasting of Vietti wines at Esquin Wine Merchants in Seattle, my favorite wine shop (I know, I keep saying that, but it’s true!), last Thursday evening. A private tasting entails actually sitting at a table and having someone come to your table with a few other special people, having the wines poured for you, while you sit and nibble on tasty cheeses, meats, and fancy crackers. None of this get-in-a-long-line-get-a-small-splash-of-whatever-in-your-glass jazz, and then lather, rinse, repeat.

This was truly a memorable night with Luca Currado, the winemaker and owner of Vietti winery on hand himself to share his passion about wine, his family story, and to let a small room full of very lucky people taste some of his incredible wines.

The Vietti family story is a romantic one. The Vietti family trace their winemaking roots back to the mid 1800s in the Piedmont region of Italy. The modern era for Vietti began with Mario Vietti producing the first Vietti labeled wines, transforming the family’s farm into a grape growing and wine-producing business. In 1952 Alfredo Currado, married Mario’s daughter, Luciana, and became a major influence in the Piedmont by seeking to vinify individual sites separately, to accent the terroir of Barolo’s best slopes. In 1970 Alfredo & Luciana Currado introduced local art on their family’s wine labels.

Luca Currado joined the family business in 1990. “Wine is in my blood,” he said, and he could not have imagined anything other than following his father Alfredo as the 5th generation at the Vietti winery in the Piedmont region of Italy. After oenological school, Luca left Italy to intern at several properties in France and the U.S. (California and Oregon), returning home, as he put it, “when my father stopped sending money.”

We tasted the wines offered while listening to Luca’s stories of his winery in Italy, and the amazing history of the area. First we tasted a white called the Roero Arneis, a 2007. This wonderful dry white wine has been called the “white Nebbiolo.” It is wonderful and crisp, has an amazing mouth feel for a white, and is only $25 a bottle, so I couldn’t pass that one up. I can’t wait to drink that one with seafood. The first red was the Barbera d’Asti, 2003 “La Crena” which means “The crest of the hill.” The vineyard where these grapes hail from was planted in 1932. This wine is gorgeous and aromatic and aged in Slovian oak for a year, then put into stainless steel. At $50 a bottle, this wine is a serious bargain. The second red was the Barbera d’Alba, 2006 “Scarrone.” The vineyard where these grapes are from was planted in 1988. This one is deep purple, nicely balanced, and elegant with big structure and is priced around $50 as well. The third red was the Barbera d’Alba, 2005 “Scarrone Vigna Vecchia.” “Vigna Vecchia” means “old vines” which is true as these vines were planted in 1918. This is a rare bottle of wine as they only plant 3 acres of this and only 75 cases were sent to the US. The rare subsoil in this area, called “Blue Tufo” (it’s a type of clay) provides the unique terrior that made me say to myself WOW when I tasted this one. All I could think was: this is art in a glass. I bought a bottle of this one for $85 and it’s now resting comfortably in my newly rented wine storage locker at Esquin. The next red wine was a Barolo Castiglione, 2005. This wine is made in the traditional Barolo style, is medium bodied, and is a blend of several different grapes from different vineyards in the region. I believe this one sells for around $200 a bottle. The last red we tasted was a Barolo “Villero” Reserva, 2001 and sells for $390 a bottle! I wasn’t sure what to think about this one. The price kind of stunned me, like when a bird flies into a window and just lays there for a while, or when your cat is running through the house and suddenly runs into a piece of furniture and just stops and sits there looking dazed and confused. That’s similar to how I felt. That was my first taste of a wine with that kind of price tag so I’m still not quite sure what to think. I would’ve liked to have had the opportunity to drink a bottle of that one slowly, savoring it over several hours.

This was an amazing evening for me; my first private tasting. Luca is funny, charming, and very engaging. He has the most amazing stories and his passion for wine is truly contagious. He stayed after the tasting was over for a while to shake our hands, answer any questions, and to sign bottles that we purchased. As you can see from the photo of the Barbera that I bought, he signed my bottle. It’ll be a very special occasion when I open that bottle and share it with the people I love.

Luca told us he recently started making his wines without the aid of any type of instruments to test things like acid levels, or tannin levels. Just like Luke Skywalker (They have the same first name! Coincidence?), he’s using the Force to make his wines. He’s going strictly with his gut to see what happens. May the Force be with you Luca Currado and may your vineyard continue to prosper and thrive for another 5 generations.