Quartomoro Vernaccia sulle bucce 2024

Quartomoro works in Sardinia, an island whose distinctive wine heritage is only now drawing attention. This wine comes from Vernaccia, a variety native to the Valle del Tirso, made in a traditional oxidative style. The Mediterranean climate gives warm, dry summers, and the indigenous Vernaccia is suited to the local terroir and to the method used here. After skin contact, which extracts colour and phenolic grip, the wine is aged under a yeast cap, a film of flor yeast that forms on the wine's surface much as it does in the production of Sherry in southern Spain. This veil protects the wine while allowing controlled, gentle oxidation, the yeast converting alcohol toward acetaldehyde and building the nutty, savoury character of the style, all without fortification. Oak ageing reinforces the savoury depth. The colour is deep amber gold. The nose shows toasted almond, dried apricot and walnut, with a saline, briny edge. The palate is dry and structured, carrying orange peel and beeswax over an earthy, nutty finish that recalls a dry Sherry. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a white wine glass. It pairs well with roast pork and aged cheese.