How We Wine: Selecting Wines for Our Restaurants

by Scott Doherty

There is a giant leap that stands between a mere list of wines printed on a page and a thoughtful, compelling, and intentionally curated wine program. 

Any decent wine program should answer these questions: Who is making the wine? What is the grape or grapes? Where is it from? These are, of course, important questions to ask but they alone are not enough.

How is the wine grown and made? Is there any chemical intervention? 

Are they using native yeasts for fermentation? Are they fining and filtering? 

Are the people working for the vineyard treated and paid fairly?

Is this wine made sustainably, agriculturally, economically, and socially? 

Does this wine make sense for the food and the atmosphere in which it is being served? 

It takes some digging, many conversations, and lots of thought and effort to find all of this out but it is THIS effort that separates a complete wine program from just a list of wines on a page. 

Pizzeria Verità, Trattoria Delia, and Sotto Provisions believe deeply in asking these questions during the selection process when crafting the wine lists. Wine plays a huge role at our restaurants and is such an important player on the table. Can you honestly say that when they think of Italian food, they don’t think of wine? They are destined to be together. They support each other, they elevate each other, and the combined experience is something that, on their own, they couldn’t achieve. 

There are many wines that inspire our lists, let’s take a look at a pair of winemakers who are truly wonderful people making absolutely brilliant wine. 

Giulia Negri - AKA Barologirl
La Morra, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Here is something you must know about Giulia: She is making the most exciting, energetic, and beautiful wines in Piedmont right now. Full stop. Taking the wheel of the family estate at the young age of 24, Giulia takes the best parts of traditional and modern wine-making to craft something that is truly exceptional. She has eliminated commercial yeasts and other additives and focuses instead on organic farming, hand-harvesting, and a slow intentional approach to raising the wine. She farms some of the highest elevation vineyards in the Barolo cru of La Morra resulting in, arguably, the nerviest and most aromatic Barolos that exist today.

Of all of the wines she makes, our favorite go-to bottle for any night of the week is her Langhe Nebbiolo called “Pian delle mole.” Made from the region’s most famous grape variety, this wine checks all of the boxes. It is first and foremost, a stunner for a Langhe bottling.

Taut, expressive, and highly approachable, it has a soft but noticeable structure that holds together beautiful floral aromatics and tight red fruits. On the table, it is a star – friendly with all types of food.  On the Verità menu, it would be hard to find something that doesn’t get along with this wine. If you are dining at Trattoria Delia, don’t miss the chance to try this with the Gnocchi Tartufato, truffle-cream gnocchi with sausage. With two of Piedmont’s most famous agricultural products, Nebbiolo and truffles, you can’t go wrong.  

Giulia is leading the charge for the next generation of grower/makers in Piedmont. Her wines are the result of generational knowledge and a true passion for the craft. 

Dora Forsoni: Poderi Sanguineto
Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

What can we say about Dora Forsoni? 

Deep breath in. 

Dora has been working on this piece of farmland in the hilly town of Montepulciano, just east of Montalcino, since the late 60s. She started bottling the house wine - which historically was sold off to a cooperative - after discovering an old bottle of her father’s that was likely from the 70s and had an “A-ha” moment that these wines were really special. She was right. She does all of the vineyard work on the ~4 hectares of vines by herself and all by hand. A small number of trusted people are allowed to help with harvest but aside from that, it is just Dora. She is a hunter and skilled marksman, she butchers everything she hunts herself and uses every part of the animal when she cooks. 

Dora loves her wine. She cares for it deeply and it shows. It is honesty and effort in a bottle. It is the pure reflection of her vineyards, her time, her work. The wines are natural and she is a force of nature. 

She mainly grows the local variety of Sangiovese called, Prugnolo Gentile. It grows well in the Iron-rich clay and old volcanic soils that appear to be stained with blood, and it is from this appearance that Poderi Sanguineto got its name and it is the foundation of all of her wines: Mineral-driven, earthy, and pure. She bottles a few wines, most notably, a Rosso di Montepulciano, a Vino Nobile, and a Riserva, but if you ask her, she would tell you that she only makes one red wine, parts of it just age longer than the others. She doesn’t use any chemical intervention in the vineyard or winery, ferments with native yeasts, and truly believes that the wine is made in the vineyard. To drink Dora’s wine is to experience the truth within the soils of Montepulciano. 

Both of these winemakers embody what we look for when selecting wines for our program. Giulia and Dora are worthy of our support and their wines are worthy of your enjoyment. We will continue to work hard to find more growers and makers that fit the mold as well as continue our support for the ones that are already here. Like any small production product that is at the mercy of nature, inventory can be very limited and is often subject to change. Stay tuned to this newsletter and our social media channels for incoming wines and other delicious treats we are excited about. 

Purchase these wines and many others at Sotto Provisions!