Punta Crena
by Emily Spillmann
Behind the postcard-worthy image of Punta Crena’s vines toeing the cliffs over a glassy blue sea is the story of a family without pretense, a little yellow house in Varigotti, and an extraordinary sense of hospitality that surpasses typecasting. For sure, at Punta Crena, you’ll find Paolo Ruffino’s mamma at an informal market stand, selling produce and olives from the family’s thousand-year-old trees. You’ll be hard pressed to miss Paolo’s children peeking out from amid the vines, and there will be airy sea-salt focaccia and homemade trofie al pesto like you’ve never tasted. But there will also be a sense of simplicity that defies grandiosity. To meet Paolo is to encounter the rare graciousness of being welcomed by a friend—one with the humor to serve fried anchovies in a carnival-style paper cone while he pours you a glass of rosato. This sincerity— perhaps above all else—is palpable in Punta Crena’s wines, each of which is easygoing and friendly, overflowing with charm. They are excellent summer wines, so you know what to do.