PERLAGE

Valdobbiadene, Veneto, Italy

Perlage is a leader in Italian viticulture, demonstrating how possible (and imperative!) it is to farm better and scale up to make wines at better prices for every day enjoyment. Organic since 1998, they've been able to rebuild soils, reduce sulphur use in their wines, and find their way to consistency and delicious classical wine at scale. And now their entry into biodynamics is well underway, with glowing results.

The story of Perlage begins in 1985, when the Nardi brothers, encouraged by their father Tiziano and mother Afra, decided to embark on a journey in converting into organic agriculture, starting with the Riva Moretta vineyard in the heart of the Prosecco DOCG area.

Perlage is a eureka find for us — crunchy, classical, nuanced wines with 0% sticker shock. Every year we are searching the world over for the best price to value ratio from wineries that can make incredible juice while nurturing the earth and building back squandered soils.

The surprising freshness and density in these truly Venetian examples of Cab and Merlot, planted here by command of Napoleon in the early 1800’s!, was a wake up call.

The Pinot Grigio is beautifully rendered too, pushing back on presumptions. And their biodynamic pilot vineyard in Campania is giving us this gorgeous, waxy orchard fruit roundness you crave from Falanghina, perfect for vongole or crab cakes (and showing you can achieve certified biodynamics at only … $15 wholesale?). 

Of course the star of the show at Perlage has always been their Prosecchi. Located in the heart of the DOCG where the finest examples of Glera grow, and with Treviso vineyards just below that boundary, these wines are so skillfully made and are a clear and easy reminder why this category ascended in the first place — fresh, fruit forward, but with outstanding balance and a greater depth of information than the lemon-lime plonk from the plains. 

Perlage has mastered organic farming and been able to achieve over these last forty years some actual scale, allowing for democratic pricing and providing a model for future generations to claim back our soils and air while making excellent wine that won't break the bank, won't beleager your palate, and will leave your mind at ease. This is the new school of old school.