My friend Rossella has always been the queen of wine in my eyes. Not just because she knows nearly every wine region in Italy, but because she passionately seeks out those rare places where wine is more than a drink — it’s an experience. This time, she took me to Liguria, and I already knew we wouldn’t just be tasting wines. We would be tasting the very soul of the land.
We had already visited a few exclusive boutique wineries near Alessio, but one of the most unforgettable stops was Azienda Agricola dell’Erba. A small, family-run estate that Rossella calls a hidden gem of Liguria. As we walked among the vines, she told me about the two iconic grapes of the Riviera di Ponente: Pigato, a native, slightly capricious but bold variety, and Vermentino, more widely known, yet completely different here due to the terroir. Unique. Alive. This place offered more than just wine — there was music, scent, and the effortless elegance of Ligurian cuisine. In our glasses: Pigato, Vermentino, and a rich rosato, each full of character — sparkling, honest, and freeing, just like this corner of the coast.
But our journey didn’t stop there. The next stop: Torre Pernice, right in the heart of the Albenga plains. The name itself — “Tower of the Partridge” — already tells a story, and indeed, a 16th-century stone tower rises in the middle of the estate. Here again, Pigato, Vermentino, and Rossese played the leading roles. I could hardly decide which one I liked most. The landscape, the ancient tower, the breeze — and a glass of golden Pigato that Rossella explained got its name from the rust-colored spots on its ripe grapes. To me, it was simply the perfect pairing for my pesto trofie on that warm summer evening.
On our way back to Florence, we made one last magical stop at the Bisson Winery, near Chiavari. This place belongs in a storybook. Founded in 1978 — the same year I was born — by Pierluigi Lugano, a dreamer, sommelier, and visionary. He believed in the hidden potential of Ligurian wine and gave new life to grapes like Bianchetta Genovese, Pigato, and Rossese. Rossella, as always, filled the air with stories, but what truly stole the show was the Spumante degli Abissi — a sparkling wine aged under the sea.
Sixty meters beneath the waves, off the coast of Sestri Levante, the bottles rest in stainless steel cages, undisturbed for 18 months at a constant temperature of 15°C. The currents, the darkness, the pressure — all shape the wine’s unique profile. And when I finally tasted it? I simply whispered: I’ve arrived. This is a flavor I will never forget.