Agent White reporting:

I love Florence in the summertime and I enjoyed this wine while on a recent deep-cover mission there. I learned of it druing a mission with one of my assets, codename ‘Barilotto’ (so named more for his love of wine than his shape). Barilotto is an Italian Technorati who runs with some of Italy’s most influential wine drinkers.

Our mission was to uncover fresh new wines by mixing with the regulars in a trendy bar in town and by observing their preferences. After some time, we were offered a glass of Innovazione. The wine was enjoyed by all and I loved it myself.

The covert tasting led me on a mission to Tuscany, where this wine was made. A little surveillance and some good old fashioned tradecraft revealed some important details about the winery where this wine was made and about the wine itself.

The winery was founded at the end of the 50’s by Gino Faraoni, a sharecropper who managed to acquire part of the land he had worked for over thirty years. I found that his son Franco and grand-daughter, Monica Faraoni, now manage the winery.

I have to say, this wine justifies Stefano’s fervent belief in the potential of Vernaccia. Fermented in French _barriques _(barrels) and blended with Viognier, Innovazione is a complex white wine pushing the envelope of traditional Vernaccia. It perfectly balances the more mineral elements of Vernaccia with the floral, spice and exotic ripe fruit of Viognier.

This wine has a nose of fresh-turned earth, olive, zest and fresh flower. On the tongue, it is silky with a tart sweetness. I found it to be a balanced wine, with mineral tones and a fruity-wetness. I enjoyed this wine well chilled, but found that it changed and became more flavorful as it warmed slightly in my glass. Another interesting thing about this wine is that its flavors changed with each new food I tried with it.

This wine gets my personal recommendation, especially if you love fresh-tasting wines that are easy to drink and are far from boring.

Blend: 90% Vernaccia di San Gimignano, 10% Viognier

Harvest: hand picked, grapes selection

Vinification: in french tonneaux barrels

Elevage: 10 months in tonneaux sur lies

Age in bottle: 6 months