What varietal, indigenous to Italy, is a white wine grape...

A) Vermentino
B) Verdicchio
C) Vernaccia

ANSWER:
C) Vernaccia

Here are the differences in the three V white wines of Italy: Vermentino is BRIGHT, crisp and dry. As featured in last month's trivia, the further south the region, the fuller in body the wines are. Verdicchio is the more innocuous of the group. To quote Jancis Robinson, "The wine it produces is clean and crisp enough, often virtually colorless thanks to modern Italian wine treatments." They are fairly high in acid, put to good use in the Spumante industry. Vernaccia is the most elegant of all. Its full-bodied nature and affinity for oak make it the most cerebral of the three. I truly wish there was an easy way not to confuse the three. It's like trying to remember who's Robert and who's Bob and who's Dick.

Vernaccia is thought to come from "vernaculous", which means "native" or "of place." This month, we are featuring a phenomenal producer from Tuscany. Sono Montenidoli is run by Elisabetta, a woman after my own heart. Strong personalities beget wines with strong personalities. They attempt and succeed at what every winemaker tries to do. On their website, they write, "Our wines have strong personalities. They are clear and brilliant, with intriguing bouquets with complexities that reveal their significance; a sip unleashes powerful, savory, mineral structures that fill the mouth. Their aftertaste is broad and very long, and the aromas that arise from an empty glass again reveal their great body." And if that wasn't enough, their vineyards have been organic since 1965, way before the trend even started. Old school traditions for making modern wines with personality. Wine Unleashed is proud to one of the first retailers in the U.S. for this winery.