A tasty and really clean intro into the world of orange wine. Expressive aromatics and ripe fruit make this a real crowd pleaser!
A sublime orange wine produced from organic Cataratto, farmed in Sicily. Three days of skin maceration give a glorious orange hue, subtle spice character and sweet, summery fruits. A great intro to the skin contact style, without being too weird!
Producer: Cantine Rallo
Region/Country: Sicily, Italy
Grape/s: Cataratto
Production Method: Natural. Skin contact for 3 days, fermentation in stainless steel
Style: Medium bodied orange wine, fragrant, herbal and spicy
Pairing Suggestion: Vegetable dishes, grilled meats, cheeses
Variety: Catarratto
Profile: Sicily's most important white variety, Catarratto is actually the most widely planted variety in Italy following Sangiovese (although much of this is for bulk production). In the hands of a great producer it can produce lovely, textured wines full of lemon citrus character and salty freshness. Often producers will use skin-contact as a way of extracting more intensity and complexity from the grape.
Classic Regions: Sicily (Italy)
Cantine Rallo
Cantine Rallo was founded in Marsala, on the westernmost promontory of Sicily, and is a successful integration between nature, technology and tradition. The majority of wines are produced with grapes from the estate's own vineyards.
From The Natty Boy
This comes from the Ciello stable. They’re an awesome organic/natural producer operating in Sicily, crafting extremely high quality yet affordable natural wines. This used to be a fairly commercial operation once upon a time, but the past few generations have moved firmly toward organics and sustainability. They’re located in the western part of Sicily, with vineyards planted at altitude allowing for a natural preservation of acidity that’s often missing from wines produced in warmer climates. This is produced from Cataratto, a variety that lends itself well to skin contact fermentation with its natural citrus based fruit profile and gives a lovely amber hue to the colour. Loads going on in the glass. Aromatically it’s very prominent, with peachy and citrus tang (grapefruit and orange rind) launching out. Lovely grip on the palate, with orange wines you do want to feel a bit of tannin and texture, and then this nice, saline finish. It’s good by itself but really comes into its own with some savoury foods paired alongside.. Or just a big bowl of pasta!