The hill country south of the Po River in southern Lombardy is some of Italy’s most overlooked wine country. Whether people rowed by on the Po in the middle ages or today drive by on the E70, relatively few have made the choice to stop the way Alessandro Verdi did, settling his family and vines in the town of Canetto Pavese in the 18th century. Seven generations later Bruno Verdi is still making wine in these hills. For his white wines he grows Pinot Grigio, a common grape in northeastern Italy but almost unheard of in these parts. He harvests by hand and vinifies the grapes in cold stainless steel to preserve both acidity and fresh flavor alongside impressive weight and lightly creamy texture. This is far better and more complex than the stereotypical Italian Pinot Grigio, with aromas of apple, peach, oregano, sage, jasmine, and rosemary, all lightly dusted with salt. The palate has pleasant weight, full of italian seasoning and salt-preserved lemons. Marcella Hazan’s “Chicken with Two Lemons” recipe was likely written over a glass of Bruno Verdi Grigio, but much of the rest of the seafood, vegetarian and poultry recipes in her books would do just as well, this wine is just that good.