Casa Balaguer Salicornio Malvasía 2024

Casa Balaguer works in the Alicante hinterland of the Valencian Community, the project Rafa Bernabé Navarro began in 2000 and now run by Andrés Carull, Marta Ribera and the Vinessens family with the original philosophy intact. This orange wine is made from Malvasía, an aromatic Mediterranean variety, and is named Salicornio after the coastal salt marsh plant, a nod to the saline character of the site. The Alicante climate is warm and dry with a strong maritime influence, sea breezes tempering the heat and lending a salty edge, while the local soils keep the wine grounded and mineral. It is made with skin contact, the juice macerating on the grape skins to extract colour, phenolics and tannic grip, then aged nine months in old stone lagares and amphorae, vessels that allow gentle oxygen exchange and build texture without oak flavour. Worked as a natural, organic, vegan wine, it shows an amber colour. The nose is apricot, orange peel and wild herbs over a briny base. The palate is dry and textured, carrying beeswax and a clear salinity to an earthy, saline finish. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a white wine glass. It suits roast pork and white fish.