Arneis is a white grape of Piedmont, native to the Roero hills north of Alba. It makes dry, medium-bodied whites with pear, apricot, white flowers and almond, and Roero Arneis is one of Piedmont's best-known white wines.
In the local dialect arneis means "little rascal" or "difficult person", probably because the grape is hard to grow: it has low and irregular yields, and it can lose acidity quickly as it ripens. It was once planted among Nebbiolo vines, sometimes called "white Nebbiolo", and was used to soften the red. By the 1960s it had almost disappeared. Producers such as Vietti and Bruno Giacosa began bottling it as a varietal white in the late 1960s and 1970s, and it was soon a success.
Most Roero Arneis is meant to be drunk within two or three years, fresh and fragrant. Riserva and lees-aged wines from top vineyards are fuller and more complex, and can age for several years.
Start with a Roero Arneis DOCG, the classic version. Producers worth knowing include Ceretto (Blangè), Malvirà, Matteo Correggia, Cascina Ca' Rossa, Giovanni Almondo, Monchiero Carbone, Bruno Giacosa and Cascina Chicco. A Langhe Arneis is a good, often less expensive alternative.
Arneis grows next to Nebbiolo and Barbera in the Roero, and with Favorita, the local name for Vermentino. Read our best Piedmont wines, the Italian white wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.