PARENTI STRETTI

Close relatives: twins separated at birth — and a father with his son

Some wines resemble each other because they were born in the same place. And then there are these: six bottles from different regions, with different names and different labels — and they are related. Properly related, the kind a DNA test would reveal.

We've put them in pairs. Three pairs, six bottles, and the pleasure of working out who resembles whom.

Pair 1 — The twins separated at birth
Langhe Favorita from La Trava and Vermentino from Ramoino. One grows on the hills of Mango, the other looks out over the sea of the Riviera di Ponente. Two names, two regions, two wines that seem to have nothing in common. Except they are exactly the same grape variety. Same fruit, completely different life: one is delicate and floral, the other saline, as though it had taken salt from the air. Taste them one after the other and you'll understand what a place does to a vine.

Pair 2 — The other twins
Dolcetto d'Alba “Brich dij Luijs” from La Trava and Ormeasco di Pornassio from Ramoino. The same story, in red. Dolcetto is the everyday wine of the Langhe, honest and immediate. Ormeasco is the historic red of western Liguria and has a name of its own, because Dolcetto arrived there centuries ago and never left. The name changes, the character changes — the DNA doesn't.

Pair 3 — Father and son
Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Ronco dei Pini, in the Colli Orientali del Friuli. Here the relationship is officially certified: Cabernet Sauvignon came from a spontaneous crossing of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc in a French vineyard, by pure chance. Nobody designed it. Nobody knew for centuries, until DNA analysis spoke up. From an aromatic, vibrant white came one of the most famous reds in the world. Families are always good for a surprise.

What's inside

• Langhe DOC Favorita — La Trava (Piedmont)
• Vermentino Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC — Ramoino (Liguria)
• Dolcetto d'Alba DOC “Brich dij Luijs” — La Trava (Piedmont)
• Ormeasco di Pornassio DOC — Ramoino (Liguria)
• Sauvignon DOC Friuli Colli Orientali — Ronco Dei Pini (Friuli)
• Cabernet Sauvignon DOC Friuli Colli Orientali — Ronco Dei Pini (Friuli)

How to drink them
In pairs, side by side, at the same moment. It's the only way to feel the resemblance and the difference together. Perfect for a dinner where you want something to talk about, or as a gift for anyone who thinks they already know everything about wine.

Three small independent producers, three regions, one extended family.