Sunday School

WINE

Roero Arneis Riserva “Perdaudin,” Angelo Negro, ’22

Piedmont, Italy

Roero Arneis has a long history of being the Piedmont grape that nearly slipped through the cracks, but the Negro family has spent generations proving just how noble it can be. “Perdaudin” comes from one of their prized Roero vineyards and is treated with the same seriousness the region usually reserves for its reds. The Riserva designation means extra time on the lees, which gives this Arneis its signature depth and quiet glow.

In the glass, it feels both sunlit and serene. You get ripe pear, lemon zest, and white flowers, wrapped in a silky texture that comes from careful, patient aging. A gentle mineral line runs through it, the kind that makes you sit up a little straighter without quite knowing why.

“Perdaudin” shows Arneis at its most confident: elegant, grounded in place, and lifted by the Negro family’s deep-rooted devotion to Roero. It is a reminder that some grapes flourish not through reinvention, but through families who never stopped believing in them.

$17 glass   •   $11 glass

CHEESE

Weinkäse Lagrein

Alta Adige, Italy · Cow–P

Contrary to what its German-sounding name suggests, this cheese actually comes from northern Italy. Alto Adige is an alpine region tucked against the Austrian border that’s also known as Südtirol (“South Tyrol, ” after the nearby Tyrolean Alps). So, what’s in a name?

Well, Weinkäse is German for “wine-washed cheese, ” while Lagrein is an indigenous Italian grape varietal that produces tannic, acidic wines. A relative of the better-known Syrah, it’s grown mostly in Italy. This Weinkäse is semi-soft and porous in texture, with the hearty richness of mountain milk. The rind looks like purple velvet thanks to a four-day swim in hearty Lagrein wine, accompanied by two tasty pool toys: garlic and black pepper.

The flavor reminds us a bit of Havarti, but with the inimitable heft of a washed-rind cheese. Blindfolded, you could easily mistake it for the creamiest salami of all time.

$9  •   $6