Il Civettaio – Vermentino – 2020

The Story:  Picture the scene… we’re in the beautiful Tuscan hills at Il Civettaio about to start a morning meeting with owner, Gregorio, it’s 10/11am, the birds are singing… Greg: “Apertivo?” Us: “It’s a little early isn’t it?” Greg: “I have been up since 5am so it’s apertivo time.” We never say no to Gregorio. The ‘go-to’ wine for aperitivo is the Vermentino. It’s perfect for this because it’s clean and fresh with a nice, almost salty finish.  The saltiness comes from the fact Greg is only 30 minutes from the coast as the crow flies (that’s an hour on Tuscan roads) so the sea air comes in and give the Vermentino a little tickle of salt. The ground is an old river bed so the soil is scattered with shells – the source of the minerals in the soil. And all these flavours from the land are brought into the wine. You are, quite literally, drinking in the landscape. We love a morning meeting with Greg.