Located just across the Tanaro River from Barolo and Barbaresco, much of the Roero region was under a previous route of the river and thus has a high proportion of sand to add to the limestone that undergirds most of Piedmont due to the ancient Golfo Padano that formerly connected to the Adriatic. Roero, like nearly every other Denominazione in Piedmont, also grows Nebbiolo, but its sandier soils are particularly suited to Arneis and Roero is the premier zone for it. An indigenous Piedmont grape that nearly died out in the eighties as Nebbiolo’s rising popularity in Barolo and Barbaresco inspired growers to rip out the vines of Arneis, the acreage has since rebounded and stabilized. Marco Porello is the third generation to run his family’s winery and vineyard with his son now training to be the fourth. Both mature vines and organic farming help to polish the rough edges off the “little rascal”, as the name of the grape translates to in the local dialect, and, as is the custom with this grape prone to oxidation, the hand harvested grapes were fermented and aged in stainless steel to protect the fresh fruit and floral flavors. Marco Porello is the third generation to run his family’s winery and vineyard with his son now training to be the fourth. Both mature vines and organic farming help to polish the rough edges off the “little rascal”, as the name of the grape translates to in the local dialect. As is the custom with this grape prone to oxidation, the hand harvested grapes were fermented and aged in stainless steel to protect the fresh fruit and floral flavors of yellow apple, green melon, white peach and Bosch pear skin that are an excellent accompaniment to salads and appetizers as well as shellfish.