Andrea Sottimano

[Jason Perlow]

The eGullet Q and A with Andrea Sottimano, one of Barbaresco's Best

In the cellar of a small farm in the commune of Neive, just out side of Langhe in the rolling hills of the Piedmont in northwest Italy sit a few dozen barrels. You have to duck your head to negotiate the narrow steps that leads down to them. Between these few barrels is divided wine from some of the Barbaresco zones finest vineyards: Cottà, Currà, Fausoni and Pajoré. These are the wines of the Sottimano family and the father and son team of Rino and Andrea Sottimano have carefully shepherded the grapes from each vine to make sure the essence of each vineyard shows through beautifully in the final wine.

The Sottimano family is fully engaged in the controversy between the old and new style in the Barolo and Barbaresco regions and only uses small (224 liter) barrels to age their wines instead of the giant Slovenian oak barrels that were traditionally used to make these wines. However, unlike so many "new-wave" producers the wines of Sottimano are elevated by their experience with oak, not overwhelmed by it. Clearly they are some of the finest, most intelligent winemakers in the Barbaresco zone and have earned the respect of even proponents of the traditional style of winemaking.

Andrea Sottimano has emerged as one of the best ambassadors for the wines of his region expressing admiration for wines of many styles as long as they are made with passion and character. We are extremely pleased to have Andrea join us at eGullet during the week of September 13th to the 17th. I encourage you to ask him questions ranging from the most basic to the most complicated as he handles either with equal aplomb. This is unique opportunity to go one-on-one with one of Italy's finest (and nicest) winemakers.

Please note that this is a moderated Q&A. Your questions will not appear until they are reviewed by the moderator.