2025 Tati Cortese (White), Piemonte Cortese DOC, Italy

Most wine lovers know Piedmont for Barolo and Barbaresco — the great Nebbiolo reds that define the region’s international reputation. Far fewer know that Piedmont grows Cortese, a crisp, lively native white grape that produces one of Italy’s most refreshing and food-friendly whites under the Piemonte Cortese DOC. Bricco dei Tati is a tiny family-owned estate that has been making that case since 2006, when husband-and-wife Emanuele “Manu” Gaiarin and Mary Beth Gaiarin purchased the property and committed to personally overseeing both the winemaking and the sustainable farming. Mary Beth, a Washington, D.C. native and working artist, is also co-founder and co-owner of Siema Wines — a Virginia-based importer she built with Emanuele to bring independent, family-farmed Italian wines to the American market. The Tati Cortese is the most direct expression of what they built Bricco dei Tati to produce: a youthful, crisp, honest Piedmontese white that lets the grape speak without interference from oak or heavy winemaking intervention.

100% Cortese. Clean orchard fruit, citrus, and bright natural acidity with an easy, refreshing finish. The wine emphasizes Cortese’s naturally lively character — the same grape that produces Gavi DOCG, here expressed under the Piemonte Cortese DOC in a lighter, more accessible, and decidedly less familiar register. At $13.99, it is one of the most genuinely rewarding and thoughtfully sourced whites in the collection: a 2026 Shades of Vino Fall Club selection, made by a woman-owned family estate and imported by a woman-owned Virginia importer, from a grape that deserves far more attention than it gets.

Wine Details & Tasting Notes

Tasting Notes: Clean orchard fruit, citrus, and bright natural acidity with an easy, refreshing finish. Youthful and crisp — Cortese’s naturally lively character expressed without oak or heavy winemaking intervention. Light-bodied, clean, and effortlessly drinkable.

• Origin – Piemonte Cortese DOC, Piedmont, Italy (sustainably farmed; Bricco dei Tati estate)
• Producer – Bricco dei Tati; woman-owned; family estate purchased 2006 by Emanuele “Manu” Gaiarin and Mary Beth Gaiarin; personally oversee winemaking and sustainable farming; Mary Beth Gaiarin — Washington, D.C. native, artist, co-founder & co-owner of Siema Wines (Virginia-based woman-owned importer)
• Varietal – Cortese (100%; same grape as Gavi DOCG; unoaked)
• Style – Dry white wine (crisp; light-bodied; bright acidity; unoaked; food-friendly)
• ABV – 13.0%

About Cortese & Piemonte Cortese DOC

Cortese is Piedmont’s most important native white grape — the variety behind Gavi DOCG, one of Italy’s most recognized and exported white wines. Under the broader Piemonte Cortese DOC appellation, the grape produces wines that are lighter in structure, more accessible in price, and often more refreshing in character than their Gavi DOCG counterparts — emphasizing the variety’s natural crispness, citrus precision, and clean orchard fruit without the weight that oak aging or more ambitious winemaking can add. For the wine lover who has enjoyed Gavi and wants to explore the grape in its most honest and unadorned expression, the Piemonte Cortese DOC is the natural next step. For the wine lover discovering Cortese for the first time, this is the ideal introduction — at a price that removes every barrier to trying it.

Food Pairing

The orchard fruit, citrus, bright acidity, and clean refreshing finish of this Piedmontese Cortese make it one of the most naturally food-versatile and season-appropriate whites in the Fall Club collection. Pairs beautifully with fall cheeses — fresh ricotta, mild taleggio, and young pecorino — where the crisp acidity cuts through creaminess and the citrus notes complement the subtle nuttiness of aged soft-ripened cheeses. The clean fruit and bright structure make it a wonderful companion for creamy pasta dishes — tagliatelle al burro, pasta with sage and brown butter, risotto bianco — and lighter harvest dishes where a heavier white would overwhelm rather than complement. Also excellent alongside grilled fish, roasted chicken with herbs, and any preparation where clean, refreshing acidity is the priority. Serve at 44–48°F.

Occasion

This is your go-to fall white for Shades of Vino Club selections, weeknight entertaining, and sharing with the wine lover ready to discover what Piedmont grows beyond Nebbiolo. A woman-owned family estate. A woman-owned Virginia importer. Sustainably farmed Cortese from a tiny property that Mary Beth and Manu Gaiarin have been farming with care since 2006. At $13.99, one of the most honest, rewarding, and thoughtfully sourced whites in the collection.

Shipping

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