Cascina Tavijn Slarina

Grapes: Slarina

Region: Piemonte, Italy

Vintage: 2020

Viticulture: Organic

Soils: Clay

Vinification: 2 months on the skins then pressed to concrete tanks

Aging: 6 months

Fining or Filtering: None

Sulfur: None added

Notes from the Importer: Nadia Verrua, la padronina of Cascina 'Tavijn, works in a long forgotten area in the Asti province of Piemonte. Fortunately it is a region blessed with unique varieties brimming with personality.

Despite the small size of the property (approximately seven hectares including new plantations not yet in production), Nadia is quite ambitious and experimental, producing an increasingly diverse amount of wines each year in accordance to her harvests. The three main grapes of the area are Barbera,
Grignolino and Ruché. The latter two are native, indigenous varietals of the area and have recently seen a cultish rise in popularity.

The name might come from the Piedmontese word sinréna (in Italian cenerina, a reference to the bloom that commonly appears on this red grape’s skin (ceneri means ashes in Italian, hence the association with bloom, the powdery deposit sometimes found on the berries). This variety was nearly extinct after as many plantings were removed in favor of Barbera in the early 1900s.