Frasca La Guaragna Grignolino d'Asti 2024
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The Land
Agliano Terme is Barbera country, one of the communes of the Nizza DOCG zone in the Monferrato hills of Asti, yet Frasca La Guaragna reserves its 4-hectare Agliano vineyard for Barbera and this Grignolino. The site sits at 180 to 230 meters on clay soils rich in minerals, part of a 22-hectare estate spread across four vineyards. The name on the label comes from La Guaragna, the estate's largest vineyard at 10 hectares, which is planted to Barbera, Moscato, Riesling, and Arneis; the Grignolino itself grows in Agliano Terme, where clay builds the structure and length this pale grape needs.
The Wine
Grignolino takes its name from grignòle, Piedmontese dialect for pips, because its berries carry an unusual number of seeds that turn a wine harsh if handled roughly. Winemaker Matteo Gerbi works around the grape's defining flaw: after a cold pre-fermentation maceration, the seeds are removed before fermentation begins, and there are no punch-downs at all. The wine ages in stainless steel, then rests in bottle at the estate before release. From 25-year-old vines, at 13 percent alcohol, it pours pale ruby and delivers wild strawberry, rose, white flowers, and freshly tilled earth over fine tannins and bright acidity. The rain-soaked spring of 2024 demanded strict selection across Piedmont and produced fresher, lighter-framed reds, conditions that suit Grignolino better than almost any grape in the region.
The People
Frasca La Guaragna began with a chance meeting in 2018 between Curt Frasca, an Italian-American entrepreneur with a fixation on Barbera, and Matteo Gerbi, a winemaker rooted in Nizza Monferrato. Gerbi now serves as winemaker and director, and the pair built the estate around varieties native to these hills: Barbera above all, plus Grignolino, Freisa, Moscato, and Arneis. Less than a decade in, the wines reach more than 20 markets across North America and Asia, but the approach stays local, with each vineyard vinified to show its own soil.
Food Pairing
Vitello tonnato is the classic move: Grignolino's acidity slices through the creamy tuna-caper sauce while its light frame leaves the veal in charge. A cumin-and-lime-crusted skirt steak works because fine tannin meets char without overwhelming it. Agnolotti del plin in butter and sage keep the wine in its home region, and a mushroom pizza picks up that tilled-earth undertone. Serve it with a slight chill, around 55 degrees. This is Grignolino d'Asti as your house red for the months when you cannot decide between red and rosé.
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Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Piedmont, framed by the Alps in northwestern Italy, is a land of rolling hills and carefully cultivated vineyards. The continental climate, with its cold winters and warm summers, creates prime conditions for the Nebbiolo grape, which dominates much of the region's red wine production. The Langhe area is home to Barolo and Barbaresco, structured red wines known for their complex aromas, firm tannins, and aging potential. While Nebbiolo is the dominant grape of Piedmont, the region also makes interesting white wines like those from Arneis and Timorasso. Alto Piemonte is a separate region in the north with its own distinctive expressions of Nebbiolo, alongside other red grape varietals.
