In the tradition of local Ligurian winemaking, Nostralino was created by blending together all the different grapes present in a single vineyard. Casa Sabaino’s Nostralino is produced exclusively from Vermentino and Bianchetta Genovese grapes that are hand-harvested using 20-kilograms baskets along the hills that face the Gulf of Tigullio, between Portofino and Sestri Levante. Once pressed, the Vermentino grape juice must undergo a maceration process at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, after which the clear must goes on to undergo fermentation. The Bianchetta Genovese grapes, in contrast, are picked off the bunches, crushed and transported to temperature-controlled tanks where they undergo maceration in contact with the skins at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius for 24-36 hours. The grapes then experience a soft pressing before undergoing fermentation. Once the primary fermentation process is complete, the two wines that have been vinified separately up until this point are combined and left to refine on the lees for at least four months. The wine is bottled at the end of the first spring following the harvest, where it ages for at least two months prior to release on the market. In the glass the wine is straw yellow in color with green highlights. The bouquet expresses aromatic, Mediterranean notes of rosemary, basil, orange peel and clementine. This wine is fresh on the palate with a mineral, almost saline aftertaste. The slightly briny finish is a testament to the wine’s unique terroir: the cliffs along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The fresh and mineral flavors of this wine are best accompanied by fish dishes, both simple and elaborate, and white meats.