Giorgio Nicolini Vitovska 2020
Hand harvested in small baskets, macerated on the skins for 36-48 hours, spontaneous native yeast fermentation, traditional hand-crank press, aged eight months in large oak barrels, bottled unfiltered w/less than 50mg/l of total sulfur.
“If you’re not familiar with the Vitovska grape, you should be and Nicolini’s cuvee is a superb introduction. Their method is quite hands off, letting the grapes do the talking. Not filtered, in the glass it displays soft lemon/orange hues and is slightly cloudy. In the mouth it’s dry, fresh and electric! Scents of mandarin and lemon waft from the glass. On the palate it’s textural and this combines well with a subtle salty mineral edge that leaves an impression that the sea breeze flowing up from the Gulf di Trieste have kissed the grapes! Very persistent, and leaves quite an impression.” TC
The Finer Details
Variety - Vitovska
Country - Italy
Region - Friuli Venezia Giulia
Extra - Cork
Year - 2020
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
Giorgio Nicolini is assisted by his wife Rossana and son Eugenio, at their small farm. The two hectares of vines are situated on the hills above the town of Muggia, an old venetian colony, on the outskirts of Trieste. In front, lies the Gulf of Trieste, on the other side, Slovenia and Croatia borders. Their effort is devoted to regenerating and replanting the old type of native vines, now almost completely lost, using the original centenary clones from their own vineyard. The vines are from 20/30 years old that grow mainly in clay soil with marine sediments. Total annual production is only 5000 bottles.
The wines from this particular strip of land have a special ‘flavour’ thanks to the natural characteristics of this region, the type of soil, the altitude and the specific climate where the Alpine and Mediterranean air meet. The treatments in the vineyard are kept to minimum, avoiding the use of systemic products. The same approach transfers to their tiny cellar, where the wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, no filtrations and only a small amount of sulphites are used. The wines are an expression of the place, a nod to the ancients and the Nicolini family story.