I’m a big fan of obscure grapes. You know, the kind that only grow in two small villages in Italy. This past weekend I came across a new variety for me — Gamba di Pernice, a red grape in the wine, Calosso, from Piemonte.

As a part-time academic, I cultivate my resources carefully. One of my favorites in this line of work is the book, Native Wine Grapes of Italy, by Ian D’Agata. A 620-page tome, it catalogs the incredible diversity of Italy’s native grapes, many of which grow nowhere else in the world. My friend and wine teacher, Jan D’Amore introduced me to this book, and I refer to it often. It told me that Gamba di Pernice means leg of partridge, because the red stalk of the vine is reminiscent of the the bird’s leg.

How did I discover this wine and grape? Two more friends in the wine trade: Dave Gansler, an importer and distributor in New England, and Patrick Dubsky, owner of Winestone, a superb wine retailer in Brookline, MA. Last Saturday, Dave offered a tasting of some of his delightful wines at Patrick’s shop.

Here is the description of the wine from Dave’s tasting:

Tonight was my night to make dinner. However, I had a Zoom call with colleagues in the early evening, so my wife agreed to make the dinner I planned, if I would do the prep work. Great arrangement!

The meal was Gnocchi with Pancetta, Zucchini, and Leeks, accompanied by Calosso wine.

I like this story because it illustrates almost everything about how I learn about wines and the stories about the people and the history that make it exciting.

Enjoy!