Arneis is an ancient grape variety native to the Roero district of Italy's Piedmont. Arneis, which has been translated as "little rascal" has had a long, but not always illustrious history. Like most of Italy's indigenous grape varieties, Arneis has only recently been cultivated and bottled as a varietal. For centuries, the local white Arneis, also known as Bianchetta and Nebbiolo Bianco, was most often blended into the Piedmont's full-bodied, rustic reds to augment their aromatic profile and soften their tannic edge. In the days before the laws of denominazione di origine controllata, even Barolo would receive a dollop of Arneis to enhance its aroma and tame its fire.

Since the 1970s, Arneis has come of age. With the advent of technical wine equipment and the enforcement of DOCG regulations in Italy, Arneis has been rescued from extinction and born again as Piedmont's finest and most expensive dry white wine. Arneis yields a medium-bodied wine of haunting bouquet. Spring flowers, stone fruits, and a waft of fennel are the scents and savors most associated with this charming, food friendly varietal that is highly adaptable to stylistic interpretation. It can be enjoyed quite chilled or slightly cool, as you like it.

Primitivo, referring to the early ripening of this ancient varietal rather than any supposed rusticity, hails originally from Greece. It was most likely brought to southern Italy more than 2,500 years ago by the Greeks, who named Apulia and the nearby Italian peninsula Enotria - land of the vine - because of its natural proclivity for the production of wine. Today, Primitivo remains one of the most important varietals in southern Apulia, especially on the Salento peninsula. In addition to being the earliest maturing grape variety in Europe, and perhaps the world, it is also capable of registering the highest sugar content of any grape, translating into the world's most alcoholic table wine. In fact, Primitivo can garner enough natural sugar to produce nearly 19% alcohol, without fortification. Recent DNA evidence points to Primitivo as the forebear of California Zinfandel, a grape with which it shares many common characteristics, thereby ending the mystery surrounding the origin of Zinfandel.