2023 Cantine Bonelli Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini

100% Ortrugo, a grape that’s indigenous to the Piacenza hills in western Emilia-Romagna. It’s commonly blended with Malvasia, though here it is on its own. Fermented and aged simply in stainless steel. 

This light bodied white wine shows off delicate notes of apricot, white peach, citrus and passsionfruit. Similar in style to a Grüner Veltliner, it’s light on its feet, bone dry, crisp with lively acidity, and has a clean palate and finish. Pairing suggestions include sushi or an salad with pears, walnuts, and blue cheese.

Cantine Bonelli focuses on indigenous varietals such as Ortrugo, Malvasia di Candia, Bonarda (Croatina) and Barbera. The viticultural practices, sustainable to minimize environmental impact, maintain low yields, employ hand harvesting while the sugar, acid and taste are all in optimum balance. This allows the unique terroir to show through in each vintage. Anacleto Bonelli founded the winery in the mid 1940s, right after the war. In what could be defined today as a pioneering move, he created a network of vine growers in the Trebbia Valley and producing a new, distinctive wine, which reflected and valorized the peculiarities of the area: the Trebbianino Val Trebbia, produced with native grapes. The Trebbia Valley is a hilly area that constitutes a balanced ecosystem of vineyards alternated to woodlands and crops, making up a perfect model of biodiversity. The gravelly soil is the most ancient of all the surrounding areas and is overlooked by majestic magmatic peaks such as the Pietra Parcellara.