2011SkerkOgrade2011 Skerk, Ograde, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.
A proprietary white blend of Vitavska, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia is real Orange wine that shines pink/orange in the glass and tastes fresh and lively, the Skerk hallmark, this is lovely and compelling wine. This cloudy and dense dry wine feels light on it’s feet with bright and zesty aromas and flavors with tangerine, citrus flowers, savory and salty spices, mountain herbs, apple skin, peach and persimmon. I had been expecting a tawny element, but none showed up, this is pure, vivid and fresh wine that makes you re-think your ideas of “Orange” wines, this is an ancient style of winemaking known from Italy to the Republic of Georgia, and the Skerk version is stable, tangy, clean and delicious. The color is from the Pinot Gigio which has pink/grey skins, the long maceration bleeds the orange/pink hue, Sandi Skerk claims between 15 and 40 days on the skins with this wine, though he adds that long skin contact doesn’t always mean more color in the Orange wine, he says some wines with only 10 or 14 days sometimes have a much darker color from the skins. This is totally drinkable and beautifully balanced wine that begs for food, cured meats, cheeses, seafood and almost anything that requires a dry wine would be super with this dynamic wine.
($40 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

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