When speaking of the Azienda Agricola Linero, we cannot fail to mention Castelnuovo Magra which rises above and protects the Hills of Luni. They exist alongside in perfect harmony and the vineyards seem to be the ideal extension of the fortified hilltop town as they stretch down towards the sea. One of these vineyards, in particular, now run by the young winemaker Catia Cesare, has roots that go back to the 1960s, as many locals recall, when the then owner, General Tognoni, began his research into vines and wines which was considered decidedly innovative for his time. His vineyard was having native vines such as Vermentino, Trebbiano, Sangiovese and Canaiolo but his decision to also enhance red grapes such as France vines and Barbera was considered somewhat daring in that period. Luigi Veronelli, then a young journalist who was covering the “Giro d’Italia” cycle tour, fell in love with Generale Tognoni’s “IL Barbera”, and devoted a long article in praise of this wine and its producer in the newspaper Il Giorno (1967). Salvatore Marchese recalls in an article in the magazine Barolo & Co that Veronelli: “on several occasions wrote enthusiastically about this vineyard which provided the foundations for the specialised grape growing and winemaking which later followed in the Province of La Spezia. A close friendship grew up between the Vineyard owner and Gino (as Veronelli was known to his friends) and it was soon extended to include Mario Soldati and numerous other leading personalities from the world of Art and Literature”. It is no mistake to refer to “IL Barbera”, as we have and as the attentive reader will have noticed, because Mario Soldati deliberately referred to it as a masculine noun in his book “VINO AL VINO” to distinguish it from the feminine “LA Barbera” of Piedmont when, after trying unsuccessfully to trace the wine producer, he finally did so with the help of Mario Spagnol from Lerici, and he was able, at last, to visit General Tognoni’s property. “As for me, without forgetting “IL Barbera”, (to which I refer using the masculine definite article because, of course, it is not from Piedmont), and that, certainly, as the General says, is pressed from barbera grapes, and which is exquisite (though unlike LA Barbera), I would award the top prize to LINERO, which is, of course, that very dry white wine of which I had heard speak, unusually full-bodied, perfumed and substantial, pressed from Trebbiano and Vermentino grapes, though I don’t recall the respective proportions”.