A revitalised white from Piemonte

Piemonte is usually associated with red wine but it is home to an unusual array of relatively aromatic white grapes too. Arneis is perhaps the most distinctive, but there is also Cortese, Erbaluce, masses of Moscato, usually fizzy, and Favorita.

Favorita is apparently related to Vermentino and arrived in Piemonte from Liguria in the 17^th century. For some time it was regarded as a lowly table grape but in the early 1970s efforts were made to select a suitable wine-bearing clone. Gianni Gagliardi was one of the first to try to make a serious Favorita, not least because it...