Guado Tasso 20 Vermentino

Vermentino is a white grape best known from the Mediterranean coast, and wines made from it usually run dry, light to medium in body, and brisk. This bottle is listed as a Massachusetts wine, so treat the notes below as what the variety typically delivers. They are not a measured profile of this bottle. Expect citrus-led fruit such as lime, lemon peel and green apple, sometimes with a touch of pear or white peach. Many examples add a faint herbal or saline edge, and a slightly bitter almond note on the finish. Acidity is normally the backbone, with little or no tannin. Vermentino is most often made in stainless steel, so it generally shows no oak and a clean, crisp finish. That profile points to shellfish and lightly cooked seafood. Steamed clams, grilled shrimp, oysters, and baked or pan-seared white fish with lemon and olive oil all suit it. It also works with dishes built on fresh herbs, such as basil pesto pasta, a green salad with goat cheese, or roast chicken with thyme. Salty foods like fried calamari or a platter of cured olives and soft cheese tend to match the wine's acidity well. Serve it well chilled, around 45 to 50°F, which is about two to three hours in a refrigerator or thirty minutes in an ice bucket. Colder than that and the citrus and herbal notes tend to go quiet. Decanting is unnecessary for a wine of this style. A standard white wine glass with a moderate bowl, filled only a third of the way, lets the aromatics collect without warming the wine too quickly. Wines made from Vermentino are generally meant to be opened young, while the fruit is bright and the acidity is lively. Plan on drinking this bottle soon after purchase rather than cellaring it.