Villa Ligi "Vernaculum" Pergola Aleatico '24

Francesco Tonelli has been making wine with local grape varieties at Villa Ligi since 1985, when he left his job as a teacher to focus on viticulture and winemaking. He helped establish the tiny Pergola appellation, in Marche, an east-central region of Italy along the Adriatic coast. Marche is sometimes referred to as a transitional region between north-central Italy and southern Italy, yet many of its wines are unlike those of its neighbors, as they are made from local varieties uncommon elsewhere. At the helm of Villa Ligi today is Francesco’s son Stefano, a trained oenologist who has taken the winery to new heights. He produces wine made from local varieties in several appellations, including this Pergola Aleatico.

“Vernaculum” is a varietal bottling of the region’s historic variety Aleatico. The grapes are manually harvested and fermented in concrete tanks, then aged for six months. The nose offers aromas of black cherry, pomegranate, and blackberry, with floral notes of violets and peonies, as well as black tea leaf, olive, and pink peppercorn. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied with bright acidity. Pair it with seared tuna, simple red-sauce pasta dishes, or a range of flavorful dumplings.