Quartomoro Vernaccia sulle bucce

Until recently, Sardinia has been an area where wine has not played an important role. However, that doesn’t mean that this Mediterranean island doesn’t have its own unique wine treasures, like wines made with Vernaccia (a native variety of the area), made under a yeast cap and with a slight oxidation (very similar to wines made in southern Spain, but without fortification). These wines are true gems worthy of saving. If a Sardinian invites you to have a glass of this wine, congratulations; you can be sure you’ve made a good friend in Italy.

At Quartomoro, a winery located in the province of Oristano, they wanted to go one step further and take this wine to another level. This is how Quartomoro Vernaccia sulle bucce was born, a wine made and fermented in contact with the skins (a traditional orange wine). The base of this wine is Vernaccia, a native white variety. People think that this grape, found mainly in the Tirso valley, was introduced to the island by the Phoenicians. For years it was one of the most cultivated varieties, but now it only covers 400 hectares. Some of these are owned by Quartomoro, a winery dedicated to cultivating this vineyard in the Tirso Valley that was planted in 2005 on sandy-clay soils and in a warm-temperate climate, with rainfall of 600 to 700 mm.

Following a manual harvest, the work in the winery begins, with the crushing and breaking of the grapes. This will produce the grape pulp, and the must will remain in contact with the skins. Fermentation then begins in stainless steel tanks and lasts for 36 hours at a controlled temperature of 20°C. This work will be carried out by native yeasts. Quartomoro Vernaccia sulle bucce will spend a minimum of six months aging in these tanks, which then continues in the bottle for a minimum of two months.

Quartomoro Vernaccia sulle bucce is on another level, managing to showcase the area’s typical wine to other places and other environments, becoming a very special wine, not to be wasted on someone who won’t appreciate it.