Josep Foraster Brisat del Coster 2024

Mas Foraster works in Conca de Barberá, an inland Catalan appellation of high vineyards and cool nights. Brisat is the local name for an orange wine, a white made like a red by leaving the skins and pips in contact with the juice through fermentation rather than pressing first. It is an almost forgotten method that Josep Foraster has helped revive. The Macabeo here grows at altitude, where the diurnal swing between warm days and cold nights preserves acidity and aromatic detail. After fermentation on the skins, the wine spends six months on its lees, where slow autolysis releases mannoproteins that lend texture and a faint nutty depth. The skin contact gives gentle tannin and an amber tint without making the wine heavy, in keeping with its 11.5 percent alcohol. The colour is pale amber, with a nose of citrus peel, green apple and dried herbs. The palate is dry and fresh, with apricot fruit, an almondy lees note and a saline, lightly grippy finish. Natural and organic in the cellar. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees, with grilled fish, roast chicken or a goat cheese salad.