They are truly self-sufficient at Punta Crena, raising all their own food and making all their wine and olive oil. To keep things interesting, they insist on having a wide variety of things to eat and drink. Their philosophy melds perfectly with ours, and we’ve yet to taste any of their rosato, white, red, sparkling, or sweet wines that we didn’t like. Kermit and I fell in love with this Lumassina (freshly fermented in tank) from first taste at the winery during our visit. From an indigenous Ligurian varietal, it balances freshness and creaminess just perfectly, with a unique and delicious set of flavors. This is a lovely way to get the evening warmed up, and with a frittura of fresh seafood, there’s nothing better.
The native Lumassina (loo-mahss-SEE-nah) is a cousin of Mataòssu and has a similarly difficult vegetative balance. Punta Crena’s still bottling has a snail on the label because the grape ripens very slowly (it is also a pun on the name Lumassina, which resembles the Italian word for snail, “lumaca”).
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant | 
