Piedmont is a little bit ridiculous. There are so many sorts of wine made in Piedmont – and each one is someone’s local specialty – that the appellation map looks like it was drawn by an overstimulated child taking their first turn with the markers. Among the head-spinning list of delightful curiosities, Nascetta is one of the most curious, a grape once called “An exquisite grape, tending towards art” in a 19th century wine text. It is nearly unknown today because it is difficult to grow and yields inconsistently. Throughout the 20th century, growers grafted it over to more reliable grapes until for a time Nascetta flirted with extinction. Only the recent work of a few wineries like Reverdito have stopped this from happening, and we’re eager for more of this tempestuous but brilliant wine. Exotic and punchy aromas of muskmelon and lemon rind, rosewater, almond butter, salt and flint lead into a palate that feels like you could eat it with a spoon, brimming dangerously with lemon and melon and orange cut with big salt crystals. This is a lush and creamy wine that’s being electrocuted with acidity, a pleasant sense of tension perfect for duck, rich polentas, and dishes featuring horseradish.