Punta Crena Lumassina Frizzante 2024

"It's hard to get wines from Liguria in the US partly because Liguria seems like Italy simply ran out of room between the mountains and the sea. The vineyards here cling to incredibly steep slopes overlooking the Mediterranean often planted on terraces carved into hillsides. Farming is difficult, labor-intensive and done on a relatively small scale, so there is not much wine produced and even less of it makes it to the US.

Punta Crena is a family run estate whose roots in the tiny coastal village of Varigotti go back hundreds of years. Lumassina is a native Ligurian grape, and it is rare enough to see it bottled on its own much less in this lightly sparkling style.

Pull the cork and you'll hear a little hiss, followed by a delicate spritz in the glass. Think of it as a more serious, distinctly Mediterranean cousin to Vinho Verde. Low in alcohol and wonderfully refreshing, it shows flavors of lime, white flower, tart apple, and salty sea air. Good with lights foods or solo on the porch."