A Certain Wine for Uncertain Times

The new year is now in full swing, brimming with cautious optimism that masks will soon be a thing of the past.

Whether your clientele are feeling "glass half empty" or "half full", the wine in the glass should be a sure thing--delicious, memorable, affordable. It's a calling uniquely suited to Matteo Correggia Roero, a "crushable" young Nebbiolo that everyone loves.

If "young Nebbiolo" conjures notions of gripping tannins, Matteo Correggia Roero offers a complete paradigm shift. Of course Nebbiolo is a tannic varietal and tannins are the identifying marker; but unlike Barolo's mostly clay marl soils, Roero is covered with deep sand filled with seashells right at the surface.

Roero's sandy soils produce silkier tannins that come through in the glass. The mouth-feel is analogous to driving down a road: with Barolo, you can feel the rocks and gravel; Roero is like a newly paved road—smooth and gliding.

No one knew this better than Matteo Correggia himself, who produced the region's first single-vineyard Nebbiolo in 1987. Correggia's wine was such a hit, the Barolo Boys inducted Correggia as the only non-Barolo producer into their elite group. And by 2005, the Roero DOCG was born.

Matteo's son Giovanni now holds the torch and continues his father's tradition, producing the best examples of Roero that feature in great wine programs around the world.

While the cognoscenti have always been fans, in many ways Matteo Correggia Roero appeals to a broader market than Barolo does. Correggia's fun labels, screw-cap closures and social media marketing call out to younger wine drinkers who may not be familiar with Barolo (or even Nebbiolo for that matter). And being far more accessible, it's a much better onramp for newer wine drinkers.

The wine simply checks all the boxes: small production, world-class varietal, impeccable vineyards farmed organically and packaged in a unpretentions style.

For so many reasons, Matteo Correggia Roero easy to love—you can be certain.