Bizzarro Bianco '24

Piedmont’s Most Charming White Grape, Unfiltered

Bizzarro — Italian for “strange” or “bizarre” — is an apt name for a wine that defies easy categorization. Cascina Val del Prete is a small, family-run estate in the Roero hills of Piedmont, just across the Tanaro River from the Langhe, and their 100% Arneis is a love letter to this underappreciated indigenous grape.

Arneis — historically nicknamed “the little rascal” in Piedmontese dialect — is notoriously difficult to grow, prone to oxidation, and demanding in the cellar. In the right hands, it produces something genuinely special. Pale gold with a slight green tint, it opens with a delicate and aromatic nose: white pear, almond blossom, fresh apricot, and a subtle herbal note. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and textured — soft acidity, a gentle nuttiness, and a clean, slightly bitter finish that is quintessentially Piedmontese.

Strange? Perhaps. Delicious? Absolutely.