Arneis is a white wine that comes from the Piedmont region of Italy. The meaning of this word to the people of Piedmont means "little rascal". The difficulty in growing this varietal, which is why it is named little rascal, led to its decline and almost to extinction until 1980 where plantings of this grape saw an increase. The vines of this varietal are susceptible to powdery mildew though new clones of this vine are developing a tolerance. Winemakers discovered different soils gave the grapes different characteristics. Chalky, sandy soils gave the grapes more acidity while clay soils bring out the elegant and exotic perfumes. It produces a clean crisp and floral varietal that is dry with a full body and low acidity. Arneis is used to soften nebbiolo and becomes more full bodied if aged in oak. Arneis has the potential to make highly perfumed wines with wonderful aromas of almonds, apricots and peaches. There are also limited plantings in Australia, California and New Zealand.