Am I…in Riomaggiore?? With eyes closed amidst a pandemic, glass in hand, nose deep in glass I could swear it’s true. Could a more picture-perfect seaside town even exist? True that the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast stands alone, not just in the Mediterranean but the entire world for its gorgeousness. And that includes its dazzling cuisine and fascinating wines. THIS charming Vermentino takes me right back there, to its heavenly homeland.

Your ticket for this transformative experience? Just $17, and you are welcome to join me at any one of those tables hanging over the edge of a cliff, with the mist of crashing waves in the air, and sip this sea breeze of a wine, while waiting for that dreamy plate of just hand-rolled trofie pasta, and just picked tender young green beans, tossed in that off the charts, just mortared Pesto alla Genovese…

There really is no other culinary nirvana so astonishingly simple yet divine.

Let’s pop and pour! In the glass it radiates straw with glimmers of white gold and a tinge of lime green. It wafts from the glass with more lime, squeezed over freshly chopped herbs, hand in hand with nectarine and blossoms and pear jelly beans. Super crisp and zippy with wet sails and stones peeking through the creamy texture. Lingers for a good minute after each sip, leaves you yearning for more and food. Beyond the obviously compatible local cuisine, enjoy it with fritto misto, all kinds of seafood, and particularly shellfish.

Cannot rave enough about how well-made and delicious this is, dear Operatives, you MUST experience it to appreciate. While mostly a well-kept local secret, Wine Advocate points out that “Durin is an interesting producer in Liguria specialized in Vermentino. This variety delivers full-bodied white wines with a high glycerine content. The trick is to time the harvest of the grape in order to preserve the acidity necessary to counter the heaviness of the wine’s texture. Cryomaceration techniques are used to preserve the freshness of the bouquet. The vineyards are located in western Liguria near Savona.”

This 2018 has no press. It’s that under the radar. Regardless, the previous vintage earned serious love from Wine Advocate again, with “Antonio Basso’s Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino is a sharp and fragrant white wine. It shows salty minerality with white peach and tangy citrus. You might even get a whiff of fresh basil leaf that recalls the delicious pesto dishes served so proudly in Liguria. I love the zesty energy delivered by this wine.”

The coolest thing is, I, Agent Noir, swear that I penned all this praise above BEFORE reading this review, and to my delight it’s spot on, including the pesto!

How many Vermentino do you have in your stash right now? We’re guessing somewhere between 0 and 1. And that really needs to change. So we’re urging you, with every fiber of our vinous soaked souls, to fix that problem today. Grabbed all we could, but doubt it will last the day.