Wine Review: Tenuta Selvadolce Crescendo
Ligurian Pigato Reaches its Crescendo
Generally we are told to pair white wine with seafood. And parings for seafood can be so easy that anybody can master them. Grilled white fish goes well with light and crispy white wines while richer meats like lobster and crab would do well with a buttery Chardonnay. So what about the beatiful world of seafood risottos and stews? Those can be a little tricky where the ingredients can easily overwhelm the wine. So what do you do? Well thats when I go to one of my favorite places in the wine world and look for wines from Liguria.
Tenuta Selvadolce should be high on your list of wineries to know, especially if like me you are going to obsess over the white wines of Liguria. Their Crescendo wine is made 100% from Pigato, a little known clone of Vermentino that has little freckles on its skin from which it gets its name. Their approach, like much of life in Liguria is very minimalist and only doing what they can and must to bring us this amazing wine. They show us the perfect example that natural winemaking can produce very elegant wines that reveal true character and invite us to taste the very essence of the place in the glass.
The Tenuta Selvadolce Crescendo feels like a wine that you have been searching for, for a long time and somehow forgot. Reminiscent of a romantic Italian vacation from years ago eating fresh fish with views of the hills and sea. There is an intensity in this wine that transports you immediately to Liguria whether you have been or not. The freshness on the nose from the scent of white flowers and herbs, the golden hue of the wine, while a gentle sea breeze works its way from your nose to your palate. The taste of sea air, herbs, and citrus juices running over your tongue in a firm and creamy body will leave you searching and longing for more.
Crescendo seems an appropriate name for the wine. The intensity of the flavors make for a delicious and hearty white wine that continues to build and build. With all its depth and character it is a perfect wine for seafood stews and risottos, more than capable of complimenting any dish you could imagine with it.
This wine is Glorious!
People who say they don’t love white wine have not had a white wine like the Tenuta Selvadolce Crescendo. It is an intense wine that will elevate any seafood dish. A fantastic wine to pull out for dinner parties where fish is the focal point of the meal. Pull this wine out and everybody will be claiming you as their wine hero and explorer extraordinaire.
