Ciao Tutti!
This weekend at Piazza Italian Market we will taste a white wine from the Langhe Nas-Cetta del Commune di Novello 2021 ($26.99, 12.5% ABV) from the Azienda Agricola Cogli l’Attimo in Novello, Piemonte. “Cogli L’Attimo” translates as “seize the moment”, which is a fitting phrase for how this wine has made its way to Piazza’s shelves. The grape’s name, nas-cetta, translates as “little girl is born” which is also fitting for a nascent winery as young as Cogli l’Attimo.
Vinitaly is the leading international wine & spirits trade fair for exhibitors, buyers and wine lovers. Last year, Emily attended Vinitaly and her focus was wine from small scale producers, one of which was Serena Anselma, whose first production was in 2021. She seized the moment and asked Emily for advice about breaking into the US market. Emily contacted one of Piazza’s importers, Doria Wines, who seek out artisanal winemakers. The brother and sister duo of Marco (Torino) and Cristina (DC) seized their moment and Marco visited Serena and now they represent Cogli L’Attimo! The winery is a perfect fit with Doria Wines’ criteria of native grape varieties, sustainable farming, minimal intervention, and small scale production and winemakers who are personally involved from planting the vines to bottling.
Serena Anselma left her career of teaching languages to fulfill her dream of producing wine from her family’s old vineyards, whose grapes had previously been sold for bulk production. In 2016, she founded her own winery on her grandparents’ land in Novello, one of the eleven municipalities that produce Barolo. Her annual production is small (about 15,000 bottles). Her winery may be less than ten years old, but it is firmly rooted in the ancient Langhe hills. She works with Sergio Molino, a renowned oenologist, to produce wines that are authentic native varieties since a great wine is dependent upon the quality of the grapes.
Cogli l’Attimo is a family business- Serena and her mother manage most of the vineyard tasks themselves and Serena’s father joins them on weekends for the heavy tractor work. Currently, Serena produces Barolo cru Cerviano Merli, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba, Dolcetto d’Alba, Nas-cetta and one orange wine.
The native grape Nas-cetta almost disappeared, but has a new life thanks to its rediscovery by small producers in the municipality of Novello like Serena and her wine entered the market in 1994. Eight years later, it became part of the Langhe DOC. In 2010, the Langhe Nas-cetta del Comune di Novello DOC designation was created to recognize only one municipality, Novello, for the production of 100% Nas-cetta grapes.
I like Nas-cetta’s floral and fruity aromas and its vibrant citrus flavor. Pair with fresh seafood or risottos, white meat entrees with lemon and herbs, dishes with asparagus or fennel, goat or feta cheese.
Come seize your moment and join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 for a taste!
If you wish to order a full case of a wine for Thanksgiving, we need to know by Wednesday 11-19 since our deliveries will occur on Monday 11-24 instead of our regular Thursday schedule. Our annual tasting of wines for Thanksgiving will be next week so stay tuned for our selections for this year!
Cin Cin,
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center, 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
