Wow! This is a fascinating, delicious and slightly quirky wine (qualities which do not always marry together!). It's a skin-contact Pinot Grigio from Colli Orientali DOC in Northern Italy, made by Cristian and Michele Specogna using Biodynamic and Organic vineyard practices.
The grapes were hand harvested, then softly crushed and cooled immediately to 7-8ºC. Cool maceration on the skins took place for 72 hours prior to fermentation on the skins for three days in stainless-steel tanks. 80% of the wine was aged in stainless-steel tanks, while 20% was aged in 500 litre oak barrels, with lees stirring for both components every 20 days.
The palate is quite electric- there's pink grapefruit and elderflower characters, interspersed with fresh ginger and some warming spice to it- even a slight sesame character. Skin-contact wines can be quite hard work but this is anything but. Sure to marry well with Asian-inspired dishes.
