2018 Derthona Timorasso DOC to arrive in US market this Spring
(March 24, 2020; Napa, CA)—Luca Currado, fifth-generation winemaker for Vietti, along with his wife Elena Currado, commercial director, are pleased to introduce the first vintage of Timorasso from the winery arriving in the USA this month. Vietti, located in Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy, has long been admired as one of the leading producers of Barolo, Barbera and Barbaresco. Luca’s father, Alfredo Currado, was a trailblazer in the region and was the first to bottle a single variety white wine when he released the Roero Arneis in 1967. After years of research and collaboration with local winemakers in the Derthona area of Colli Tortonesi, the seminal winery has released a second white wine, the 2018 Derthona Timorasso (SRP $32).
Located in Piedmont, just 62 miles from Castiglione Falletto, lie the Tortona hills, which stand at the crossroads of four different regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Liguria. Centered on the town known in ancient Rome as Derthona, it is here in the Colli Tortonesi winegrowing area where the native white Piedmontese grape Timorasso thrives. The blue marl of the “Tortonian” geological period found in the hills is also what comprises the ridge running through the Barolo vineyards, making it a natural fit for Vietti. Known for their constant experimentation and desire to break pre-established winemaking boundaries, Elena and Luca have created a Timorasso with ageability and finesse.
Timorasso had been grown around Tortona during the middle ages and was considered the most important Piedmontese white wine varietal in terms of surface area and production. However, in 1879, the phylloxera epidemic devastated the region, and the variety was largely excluded, because of the economic crisis. After World War II, the region’s viticulture transitioned to almost entirely red varieties, and the variety nearly diminished. Then, in the 1980s, pioneers Walter Massa and Andrea Mutti laid the foundation for the renaissance of the variety. The bottled result was a wine of distinction and soon other Tortona producers followed suit. At the beginning of the year 2000, Timorasso began to be associated with the name of the town of Tortona in ancient times: Derthona. Today, the name Derthona represents the Piedmontese white wine made exclusively from Timorasso grapes grown on the Tortona hills, and it aims to be the symbol of the renaissance of the Colli Tortonesi winegrowing area.
“The research and care dedicated to the production of this wine shows the will of Massa and Mutti to bring to the fore the unmistakable identity of a particular Piedmontese terroir,” says Luca Currado Vietti
Vietti is currently developing additional vineyards in Derthona and plans to add one more bottling to the portfolio in the future.
Vietti wines are imported exclusively by Dalla Terra Winery Direct® and the wines are offered at an incredible value due to Dalla Terra’s unique business model. Dalla Terra forgoes the traditional three-tiered distribution system, allowing distributors to purchase and ship wine direct from the wineries, eliminating an average of 25% in mark-ups on each bottle imported.
About Vietti
Located in the heart of the Langhe hills, at the top of the village of Castiglione Falletto, the Vietti wine cellar was founded in the late 1800’s by Carlo Vietti and has gradually grown over the course of time to include some of the most highly prized terroirs within the Barolo winegrowing area.
In the 1960’s Luciana Vietti married winemaker and art lover Alfredo Currado, whose intuitions – from the production of one of the first Barolo crus (Rocche di Castiglione – 1961), through the single-varietal vinification of Arneis (1967) to the invention of Artist Labels (1974) – made him both symbol and architect of some of the most significant revolutions of the time. His intellectual, professional and prospective legacy was taken up by Luca Currado Vietti (Luciana and Alfredo’s son) and his wife Elena, who have contributed to the success of the Vietti brand through a constant drive for quality, considered experimentation and working for expansion and consolidation internationally.
In 2016 the historic winery was acquired by Krause Holdings, enabling Luca and Elena, always at the head of Vietti brand, to add a number of prized crus to the estate’s holdings, and be able as a result to look to a future with new, stimulating prospects, all while maintaining the family approach for which the cellar has always been known.
About Dalla Terra Winery Direct®
Founded in 1990, Dalla Terra Winery Direct® is a direct importer and national agent of a select group of leading, family-owned, estate wineries in Italy. The name Dalla Terra translates from Italian to mean of the earth and represents a commitment to work alongside estates that have achieved reputations for top quality production in their respective regions or appellations. The wines they produce are authentic, indigenous and characterful, while embracing progressive viticulture and winemaking.
Dalla Terra’s ability to adapt to an ever-changing marketplace is due to its highly curated portfolio and innovative business model. By limiting its portfolio, and partnering with only the highest quality producers, Dalla Terra ensures that its portfolio will be a comprehensive source of remarkable Italian wines. The quality of the portfolio is complemented by Dalla Terra Winery Direct’s business model which guarantees value by circumventing the traditional national importer expense of the three-tier system and enables their distributor partners to buy directly from each producer. This results in a competitive price advantage and greater value to the consumer for some of the most iconic and significant producers in Italian wine.
