From: Lazio, Italy

Varietals: Trebbiano, Verdicchio, and Malvasia

Tasting Notes: Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdicchio from Lazio’s volcanic soils were native fermented with one week of skin contact before a short rest, followed by bottling with minimal sulfur. Flavors of almond, chamomile, and Asian pear punctuate a gentle, slender palate, washed with salinity and finishing with a lingering elderflower. Open this in advance and let it stretch a bit; best not briskly chilled.

Pairing: Pair with orecchiette with broccoli rabe pesto. Also, a great aperitif on its own or served alongside Marcona almonds, Proscuitto, savory tarts, potato-cheese puff pastries, quiche, and savory soufflés.

Since the early 1990s, the nuns of Monastero Suore Cistercensi have organically farmed five hectares of vines in Vitorchiano, about ninety minutes north of Rome in the Lazio district. In the early 2000s, with the assistance Giampiero Bea of Paolo Bea, the sisters began to hone their craft and find a much larger audience for their unique wines, all while maintaining an exceptionally low-tech, hands-off approach to winemaking. Their harvests are only done by hand (with all 70 nuns at the convent sharing in the labor), and the fermentations are always spontaneous. They use only estate fruit, working mostly with Malvasia, Trebbiano, and Verdicchio — as well as small amounts of Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, and Merlot — all grown on volcanic soils.