Matteo Correggia farms in the Roero, the hills north of Alba across the Tanaro river from Barolo and Barbaresco. Arneis is the white grape of those hills, and Roero Arneis DOCG is the appellation built around it.
- Arneis, Piedmont's white grape of the Roero.
- Roero Arneis DOCG, the appellation, in the Roero hills.
- 2021, Piedmont white, dry, 13%.
- Light body, high acidity, low tannin.
- White peach, citrus, almond, white flowers, mineral.
How it is made
Roero Arneis DOCG is a white appellation, and Arneis is the grape it is built on. The variety nearly disappeared from the Langhe in the twentieth century, when growers pulled it out because it was hard to farm and gave small crops. It was replanted from the 1970s onward, and the Roero hills are where it came back.
How it tastes
Dry, light and high in acidity. White peach and citrus at the front, then white flowers, and a finish that turns to almond and something stony. The almond note is characteristic of Arneis, and it is why the grape has been described that way for a long time.
Where it comes from
The Roero is on the left bank of the Tanaro, north of Alba, with sandy, fossil-rich soils that differ from the clay and limestone of Barolo and Barbaresco on the other side. Arneis is grown there and in the Langhe, but Roero is the hill country it is most associated with.
Good to know
The name Arneis roughly means "little rascal" in the local dialect, a reference to how difficult the grape is to grow and how stubbornly it performs in the vineyard. It was once planted alongside Nebbiolo, in part because its perfume was said to draw the birds away from the red grapes.
