Orange Sparkling Wine – Vej Brut

Orange wines get their name from the darker, slightly orange tinge that the white wines receive due to their contact with the coloring pigments of the grape skins. Typically white wine production involves crushing the grapes and quickly moving the juice off the skins into the fermentation vessel. The skins contain color pigment, phenols and tannins that are often considered undesirable for white wines, while for red wines skin contact and maceration is a vital part of the winemaking process that gives red wine its colour, flavor, and texture. Orange wine has a long history in winemaking dating back thousands of years to the Eurasian wine producing countries of Armenia and Georgia. In recent years the practice has been adopted by Italian winemakers, initially in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region, while there is also production in Slovenia, Croatia, France, Germany, New Zealand, and California.

The Pradarolo Farm is located in the municipality of Varano de’ Melegari in the province of Parma and runs along the provincial road 32. The main body of the farm where the vineyards, wine cellar and villa are located, is between 250 and 500 meters above sea level and is on the left bank of the river Ceno, where it forms a kind of natural amphitheatre fully exposed to the south. One part is badlands and the rest is cultivated with fodder and vineyard. The wine making done at Podere Pradarolo is based on the complete absence of conservatives, additives and stabilizers of various kinds. This is possible only if you have available a fruit with excellent properties. The very long skin macerations permit to obtain wine which is stable in time without using additives. VEJ BRUT
It is a beautiful orange wine with an amber colour that recalls the colour of the natural Malvasia grape in the sun. On the nose a touch of typical Malvasia aromatics and floral notes. On the palate it is full bodied and the tannins stand out, the finish is fresh and dry. From organic grapes, 60 days maceration, no added sulphur dioxide, use of native yeast only and without filtration. This wine spends 18 months on the yeasts for the tirage, before the actual dégorgement. Pas dosé & Millesimé. A very rare style of traditional method sparkling orange wine.This is the only sparkling orange wine currently made, and it is a real ‘winemaking chimera’, something that should not exist according to many. Indeed, the high levels of tannicity make the secondary fermentation extremely delicate and difficult to be managed. This is why Alberto Carretti (the winemaker) spent almost 10 years in understanding and perfecting the process.

Available in the UK from Hay Wines

www.poderepradarolo.com