Vichingo 2021
In making the Vichingo what we strongly wanted to achieve was a natural wine without any of the faults which often afflict wines in this category. We wanted it rich earthy and clean and I think that we very much achieved this target! True to its “ramato” skin contact style - with a hint of salinity and mineral backbone, this wine is a perfect partner to all kinds of cuisine and manages to transition from light and delicate vegetable and seafood dishes to hearty grilled meats with aplomb. Amber and gold color. Aromas of wild herbs, hay and yellow fruits and Mediterranean herbs. The taste is of dried apricots, ginger and honey. On the finish a salty freshness carries the mind to the sea shore and a light tannic note reminiscent of green tea. A pleasant rusticity reveals its artisan preparation and a great territorial expressivity. Incredibly clean for a natural wine, it is complex and intriguing. A truly wonderful skin contact white expression that combines pin point precision, wound spring tension and purity. The intensity on the palate is pithy and slightly grippy with subtle hints of skin contact phenolics, walnuts, a stony liquid minerality and a long, cool, peachy, delicately saline fresh finish. Effortlessly drinkable.
- Brand:Val Di Toro
- Region:Toscana
- Sub-Region:Maremma Toscana
- Varietal:Vermentino 100%
- Color:Orange
- Alcohol:13.50%
- Size:750ml
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- Country:Italy
- How much so2 added:50 mg/l
- Climate:The climate in Maremma is always mild along the coast, with mild winters and temperatures that never drop below zero, plus cool summers that are never hot and humid. Sometimes it never rains in summer, the rainfall is concentrated in winter and spring with some storms in autumn.We are at approximately 100 m a.s.l. and about 10 km from the coast.
- Harvest Technique:In farming we follow traditional organic practices. As an example the only fertilizer we use is green manure, broad beans which we sow among the lines of vines and that get mulched into the soil at the end of spring. In terms of treatments for diseases we only use copper and sulphur but only in the quantities allowed by the organic disciplinary. Harvest is carried out by hand in small plastic baskets and the pickers are given very strict instruction that only healthy grapes are to be put in the basket, while the rest is discarded.
- Soil:Disgregated sandstone
- Vineyard Size:2 hectares
- Vine Age (year planted):2005
- Fermentation:For the Vichingo wine we do not use selected yeasts but only its own natural ones. To make sure that the fermentation will develop properly we do the harvest in two phases. In the first one we pick a small amount of grapes which, given that the quantity would not be sufficient to go into the press, is crushed with our feet in plastic been. The must is then left to ferment. A couple of days later the rest of the grapes are harvested, it gets destemmed but not pressed as the berry will be left with the must for about 5 days to achieve the skin contact which is the main characteristic of the wine and which gives it its orange/gold halo. At this stage the must which we had already fermented with the earlier picking is injected into the larger mass and used as a trigger for the overall fermentation of the must.
- Elevage:About 5 days after harvest the grapes are pressed and during the first few days of fermentation several pump downs are performed. Five days into fermentation and the cap raised, settling occurs, followed by racking and pressing of the must. The fermentation is concluded in stainless steel vats. Several more racking operations are carried out in the following weeks.
- Winemaker Name:Anna Maria Cruciata
- Finning & Filtration:The wine is not fine filtered until the bottling when it will go through a very light filtration.
- Producer Website:https://www.valditoro.it/
- Total Production:800
- Sustainable Certificates:The farm is certified organic by the ICEA.
- Sustainable Practice:We use sheep and beneficial birds to control weeds and pests. We also have cover crops, drip irrigation and process ponds to conserve water. We have composting, recycling and reuse as much as possible to minimize waste. We focus on protecting air and water quality, preserving local ecosystems and wildlife habitats.
