“I was on a quest to find the most non-Zinfandel thing out there,” said Evan Lewandowski as we tasted his 2024 Mahlon, made with 100% Arneis. The wine was lemony, a little salty, a little nutty, with a hint of almond blossom. It tasted like classic Arneis, the “little rascal” white grape of Italy’s Piedmont region. But we were not in Piedmont; we were at a table outside Evan’s winery, Ruth Lewandowski in Sonoma, drinking wine grown in Mendocino.
“We’re having a lot of success in the vineyard with these Italian varieties,” Lewandowski told me. “They’re better positioned to survive in the current climate. These varieties have adapted to it.”
What’s happening at Ruth Lewandowski isn’t as unique as it sounds. On a recent visit to California, I spent a good deal of time tasting and talking about Italian varieties like Vermentino, Ribolla Gialla, Frappato, and Montepulciano. There’s an enthusiastic group of California growers experimenting with Italian grapes. While this movement is still relatively small—Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon have nothing to worry about yet—many see these varieties as the way forward.
“All of this coincides with the overplanting of Cabernet in California,” said Chris Brockway, winemaker at Broc Cellars, which has been working with grapes like Nero d’Avola since 2013. “Italian varieties are popular right now. People seem to be less intimidated by them.”
Chris Walsh, winemaker at The End of Nowhere in Amador County, also works with Nero d’Avola and Arneis, along with Barbera. “In years past, Rhône varieties were popular,” Walsh said. “Now people are saying Italian varieties are what California should be growing.”…