Vernaccia di Oristano D.O.C. Riserva
Grape variety: 100% Vernaccia di Oristano. Native white grape variety from the Tirso Valley, perfectly suited to alluvial soils where it best expresses its features and achieves the full ripeness of the fruits with high sugar content.
Soil: Alluvial soil; medium-sandy texture. Flowing down the plain and flooding for centuries, Tirso river created soils which are naturally fertile and very draining, due to the presence of sand and occasional pebbles. These soils, typical of the Tirso Valley, are called “Bennaxi”. Here Vernaccia finds its ideal habitat.
Vineyard size: 1,5 ha
Training system: Bush-trained (Sardinian alberello).
Fertilizers: Natural organic.
Plant protection products: Traditional; sulphur and copper.
Weeding: Only mechanical.
Fermentation: Fermentation off skins. Traditional spontaneous fermentation in concrete vats with no use of temperature control. Starting sugar content of the must has to be at least 21° Babo (corresponding to 24.4 °Bx), in order to guarantee the future alcohol content, essential for ageing and maturation.
Ageing: In the spring following harvest, the new wine is moved into durmast and chestnut barrels of different sizes, which are not filled to capacity to allow the characteristic film of “flor” yeasts to form, the same yeasts that carried out alcoholic fermentation and that will follow the wine during the whole ageing process. In the Reserve version, Vernaccia ages in wooden barrels for at least 15 years.
Description: Amber golden-yellow, crystal clear; the wine bouquet is wide and complex, rich in intense aromas such as honey, almond and saffron. Its complexity is traditionally expressed by the term murruai, a Sardinian word meaning “perfumed with myrrh”, intense, extremely complex and spicy. Even though the nose seems to anticipate something sweet, the wine is absolutely dry on the palate, warm and harmonic, depending also on its high acidity which balances the smooth parts and guarantees drinkability and very long potential life. Its long maturation is responsible for great structure and persistence, producing a balanced, polished and elegant wine.
Alcohol content: 16% vol
Food matching: Meditation wine that doesn’t necessary have to be matched with food. Traditionally drunk as aperitif, it perfectly matches with Sardinian mullet bottarga (cured mullet roe), blue cheeses or to round off a meal with Sardinian plain pastries, mostaccioli di Oristano and even dark hazelnut chocolate. The best pairing is still with amaretti di Oristano (typical almond biscuits).
Serving temperature: 14-16 °C
