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We don’t have much room to store cases of wine, so rather than offering people the same old list of Syrahs, Cabernets, Chardonnays, Pinot Grigios and the rest of the usual suspects we thought we’d make up a wine list of the strangest and most unusual wines we could find, sort of like a wine zoo for exotic animals.

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Dirt Candy has served Nebbiolo wines before but this one has to be the most sophisticated that’s ever crossed my path. The Botonero Nebbiolo from the Mamete Prevostini winery is a smooth, silky Nebbiolo that swishes into your mouth in a velvet smoking jacket and then lounges around eating Turkish Delight and puffing on its hookah. It’s swank!

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As swank as this guy.

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You’d never guess that it’s made from one of the oldest grapes in the world, but it’s immediately apparent after one taste that it’s a wine that doesn’t get served outside of Italy too much. Mostly because the rest of the world is far too gauche for a wine this sophisticated.

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Wine can get boring. Even though there are 1000′s of grape varieties in the world, there are only about 100 that produce respectable wines, and out of those 100 there are only 12 that are widely planted: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, Pinot Noir,  Chardonnay, Syrah, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling. It’s such a limited selection that it makes me want to cry. What about the other 88 grape varieties? They have feelings, too. The most luxurious of those outliers is the Nebbiolo grape which produces two of the more expensive wines, Barbaresco and Barolo. These are both aged for a long time before they go on the market, but these days younger Nebbiolo wines are making their mark. Like this one:

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Mamette Prevostini Botornero Nebbiolo, 2010

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Nebbiolo is so expensive because it only grows in Italy’s Piedmont region, in the way, way, way northwestern part of Italy. The Piedmont is the only place on Earth where both Nebbiolo grapes and white truffles are found, and there are similarities between the two, with Nebbiolo having the same kind of earthy, rich, complex taste that truffles do. But the reason Nebbiolo is so expensive is that it’s labor-intensive to make. After harvesting, it has to age for several years before being ready for market – Barolo ages for longer than Barbaresco, which is allowed to age for one year less.

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The Mamete Prevostini Botonero Nebbiolo Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Dirt Candy is serving is from the Mamete Prevostini winery, located near Sondrio, the largest town in the Valtellina region of Italy’s Piedmont region. It’s known for its hot springs, its cheeses, and for being the location where Mussolini wanted to make a last suicide stand against the Allies, ensuring himself a heroic death. No one else was a fan of the idea, and he was arrested before he even got to Valtellina. These days, the region is better known for its wine. Mamete Prevostini’s Botonero Nebbiolo has a shorter maceration period than Barolo, and it’s allowed to soak in its skins for only 3 – 5 days rather than 7 – 21. It’s then aged in stainless steel barrels for 6 months, rather than a couple of years like Barolo and Barbaresco.

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But the result is pretty amazing. This Botonero Nebbiolo is pitch black, but its taste starts out very light, with the taste of dried cherry and juicy violets, but the longer it’s in your mouth the more it mellows into a smooth, creamy, earthy red. Its tannins are very suave, and there’s something of mushrooms and a tiny bite of tar to it. In fact, it tastes exactly like this guy, cigarette included:

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