Pigato - Maje - Bruna

The Pigato DOC Maje by Bruna is the wine that takes Emporio Divino outside the Valpolicella and the Veneto to explore one of the most fascinating and still little-known Italian whites — Ligurian Pigato, the indigenous variety of the western Riviera that grows on poor, stony soils between the hills of Albenga and Imperia, just a few kilometres from the sea.

Bruna is one of the reference wineries for Pigato in Liguria — a family estate that works this variety with generational dedication and an artisan vision respectful of the territory. "Maje" — a term from the western Ligurian dialect expressing wonder, amazement and admiration — is the perfect name for a wine that surprises first-time drinkers with an aromatic and gustatory personality completely different from any other Italian white.

Pigato is genetically related to Vermentino but has developed over centuries an autonomous and distinctive character on Ligurian soils — more sapid, more mineral, more aromatically intense, with a characteristic herbaceous and Mediterranean scrubland note (rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage) found in no other Italian variety. Bruna's vinification is respectful and minimal: soft pressing, fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperature to preserve the full varietal aromatic complexity, 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel and 3 months in bottle. A production of 15,000 bottles that guarantees availability while sacrificing nothing of the artisan identity.

On the nose it is unique and immediately recognisable: white peach and apricot, Mediterranean wildflowers, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, citrus (bergamot, cedar), almond and a sapid and briny minerality recalling the proximity of the Ligurian sea. On the palate it is fresh and sapid — a light and enveloping texture, a precise fresh acidity, a persistent almost marine salinity and a clean and aromatic finish with herbal and bitter almond notes that make it completely different from any Venetian or Tuscan white. Serve at 11°C as an aperitivo or with delicate fish dishes. A white wine to bring to the table when you want to surprise — and delight.

At €17 for a 100% Pigato from a Ligurian reference producer with the very fresh 2024 vintage, this is one of the most original and competitive Italian whites in the entire Emporio Divino catalogue.