Rosé "Bigaro", Elio Perrone, Piedmont, IT, 2023

Working at a comparatively artisinal scale, Stefano Perrone has championed ideas foreign to most of the region's large producers. He works with many north-facing sites (for freshness), limits his yields, and makes a strict grape selection. Just as important is the aesthetic he brings to bear—seeking to make wines of deftness and levity; never big or "thick" Moscatos. Because of its delicacy and its dependence on perfect balance, great Moscato is hard to make, and only a few producers have mastered the craft. Among these few leaders, Stefano Perrone is quickly establishing himself as the reference-point producer.

By the late '90s, Stefano was looking for new challenges. He recognized that the Asti zone possessed many old Barbera vineyards on steepslopes that would be planted to Nebbiolo if they were just a few miles west. He purchased the great Mongovone vineyard in 1999. With vines planted in 1932, Mongovone gave him the material to produce something special. Yet, just like with his Moscatos, Stefano produces Barbera that captures the ethereal freshness for which the Asti zone is noted. At the same time that he was branching out into Barbera, Stefano produced his first vintages of Bigaro—a softly sweet, gently effervescent salmon-colored sparkler made from Brachetto and Moscato.