{"product_id":"frasca-la-guaragna-grignolino-dasti-2024","title":"Frasca La Guaragna Grignolino d'Asti 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgliano 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrignolino 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrasca 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVitello 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Anvil","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51288829591775,"sku":null,"price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8280230.jpg?v=1787961526","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/frasca-la-guaragna-grignolino-dasti-2024","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}