Skerk Vitovska 2022

Azienda Agricola Skerk farms on the Carso, the limestone plateau above the Adriatic on the border of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Slovenia, where iron-rich red soils sit over rock and the vineyards are constantly touched by the sea wind. Vitovska, a local white said to be a cross of Prosecco Tondo and Malvasia Bianca Lunga, is grown without chemicals and ripens slowly in this cool, breezy, mineral setting. The wine is made with skin contact, fermenting on the grape skins to draw tannin, colour and phenolic structure, which gives the amber tone and firm texture. It then ages twelve months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the tannin and adds savoury depth without overt oak character. The colour is brilliant amber. The nose shows apricot, orange peel, almond and white flowers, with a clear stony, saline minerality drawn from the limestone. The palate is dry and grippy, the skin tannin firm and the finish long, salty and mineral. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a wide glass. It pairs well with white fish, grilled pork and hard, nutty cheeses.