Growing up, Didier Meuzard, like many in Burgundy, didn’t drink much ratafia. He may have been born and raised in a rural, forgotten corner of the region once celebrated near and far for the beverage, and he may today be the most acclaimed producer of it, but for a long time it wasn’t something that he gave much consideration to. The art of artisanal ratafia-making was on the verge of disappearing, along with the art of craft distillation.

Unlike France, Italy does not have a Meursault, Alsace, or Hermitage—appellations capable of producing epic, cellar-worthy white wines on a yearly basis. But that does not mean Italy cannot make great whites that stand to improve with time.