CANTINA ORSOGNA LUNARIA ANCESTRALE PECORINO Sparkling wine Brut Nature 2022

CANTINA ORSOGNA LUNARIA ANCESTRALE PECORINO Sparkling wine Brut Nature 2022

ANCESTRAL LUNARIA
SPARKLING Pecorino
BIODYNAMIC and ORGANIC SPARKLING WINE
with spontaneous fermentation base

Pecorino is a native white grape variety of the Marche and Abruzzo. The first documentary source on the origin of the vine dates back to the year 1526 and is contained in the Statutes of Norcia (PG) where there is a reference to «vigne de pecurino» (Statutes of Norcia, Liber Tertius, Rubrica CXII). This vine, widespread before phylloxera, was gradually abandoned during the twentieth century to make room for varieties such as Trebbiano, which were more productive and had more of a nutritional value than a hedonistic one. Origin of the name: also called "pecorari grape" due to the grape being considered of little value, suitable for humble people like "pecorari" (a derogatory term).

Breeding form
Abruzzo awning or pergola (in the local dialect “la capanne”). Traditional expanded cultivation form of the area characterized by a low density of plants per hectare (1,100-1,600), which supports the natural harmony of the expansion and vegetative development of the roots, bunches and leaves. In the "huts" the harvesting and pruning are exclusively manual and strictly linked to the winemaker and his small peasant property.

Type of terrain
Deep clayey soils with limestone veins.

Altitude
Vineyards cultivated at 400-500 m above sea level.

Type of agricultural management
Biodynamic with organic and DEMETER certification. Biodynamic cultivation is important for the microbiological life of the vineyard and fundamental in the spontaneous fermentation of a biodynamic wine. The use of conventional fungicides weakens yeast populations and makes spontaneous fermentation very difficult. The originality and singularity of biodynamic wine is its link to the place and the climatic conditions of the year. Biodynamics returns wine to its place of origin, defined by the French as "Terroir" (territoriality).

PECORINO SPARKLING WINE
Brut Nature

The ancestral sparkling winemaking technique is based on fermentation in a locked tank at a sugar content (cooling of the must to 6°C and 18g/lt of residual sugar) which guarantees secondary fermentation after bottling without the addition of sucrose.
The wine ferments in the bottle and the maturation of the sparkling wine takes place "sur-lie" or on its own yeasts which give a veiled and opaque appearance, in contrast with the brilliance and brightness of the bubbles of conventional sparkling wines.


THE SPARKLING WINE OBTAINED WITH THE "ANCESTRAL TECHNIQUE" SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH BRUT NATURE, PAS DOSÉ OR ZERO DOSAGE SPARKLING WINES AS THESE INVOLVE THE ADDING OF SUCROSE IN REFERMENTATION FOR THE SECURITY.

– REFERMENTED WITH ITS MUST
The refermentation in the bottle and the subsequent second fermentation takes place thanks to the natural residual sugars present in the wine and does not require the addition of sucrose as in the Charmat and Champenois methods.
The ancestral technique is difficult to apply in cold areas where the grapes do not reach a ripeness capable of developing 12.0-12.5% ​​alcohol during refermentation and where the addition of sucrose is used for this purpose. It is therefore to be considered a sparkling winemaking technique from warm areas based on the harvesting of ripe grapes (which have absorbed a lot of energy from the territory) instead of the immature grapes of the other methods (Charmat and Champenois).

SPARKLING WINE characterized by:

– SPONTANEOUS FERMENTATIONS
Winemaking relies on the strength and health of the vineyard to obtain large grapes covered in yeasts essential for spontaneous fermentation.

– WITHOUT ADDED SULPHITES (less than 10 Mg-Lt)
Biodynamic sparkling wine has little need for preservatives, its grapes already possess all the necessary elements to stabilize and conserve naturally over time.
Spontaneous fermentation cannot be conducted in the presence of sulphites; adding it to the grapes or to the must in the cellar means eliminating the many families of indigenous yeasts present on the skin which are the fundamental basis of every biodynamic wine. A wine of great complexity needs as many yeasts as possible.

– WITHOUT DISGORGING WITH BOTTOM
By not disgorging, these wines appear cloudy with more accentuated olfactory hints of bread crust linked to a greater presence of yeasts. An immortal bubble in continuous evolution, each bottle is unique and day after day it matures, exalts itself and expresses itself. The best way to make this sparkling wine express itself at its best is to keep the bottle standing upright, so that the solid parts can settle. Sparkling wine with bottom fermentation is the genuine transparency of proposing a sparkling wine that has had no additions: "only a biodynamic sparkling wine, which by regulation does not require additions, can be drunk unfiltered".

– NATURAL TARTAR STABILIZATION
Finding small crystals at the bottom of a bottle? They are harmless precipitations of tartrates and mean that the wine has "felt the cold".
In biodynamics, physical (refrigeration) and chemical treatments are not allowed. Winter cold and weather naturally stabilize the wine.
The conventional tartaric stabilization technique, which involves refrigerating the wine at -5/-6°C for 6/7 days, leads to considerable energy consumption for the sole purpose of avoiding the presence of a few milligrams of harmless tartrate crystals in the wine.

For tasting
Colour: pale straw yellow, impenetrable to the eye due to its natural turbidity. Fine and persistent perlage.
On the nose: fruity and citrus notes emerge, with a vague memory of yeasts.
In the mouth: strong freshness and a long and convincing finish with a pleasant flavor.

Pairings
Elaborate first courses, white meats, fish and shellfish.


Recommended temperature
6-8°C

In service
It really depends on personal taste. You can pour the wine into the glass slowly so as not to cloud it or put the yeasts back into suspension by turning the bottle upside down. However, it is important to use "the base" which is the part that gives depth, thickness and distinctiveness to the wine (terroir and grape variety).