ORSI SAN VITO
Posca Rossa NV
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
A non-vintage wine drawn from a big old concrete vat which contains a blend of Barbera, Negretto, Sangiovese and a small percentage of international varieties. It comes from different vineyards of various ages and includes a little of every year back to 2008. The wines have been made in different ways and in different vessels. The majority of the blend is made up of wine from the most recent vintage and the vat is constantly being topped up with young wine to prevent oxidation. This has a rather fascinating combination of bright fruit, great acidity and an earthy, savoury character from vintages which are now a decade old. As befits a wine from Emilia, it screams for a hunk of salami and a good piece of cheese.
Barbera, Negretto, Sangiovese
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Federico Orsi’s biodynamic farm is in a beautiful part of the Colli Bolognesi, just outside Bologna.
These hills were known locally for producing great wines for many years, before the local varieties fell out of favour with drinkers, leading to many leaving their farms to seek jobs in the city. Since purchasing the land and converting it to biodynamics, Federico has been on a mission to put the region back on the map and over the past few years we’ve watched the wines go from strength to strength.
He now farms a total of seventeen hectares of local varieties, spread out on rolling hills over clay, sand and limestone. Diversity is embraced fully, with another eight hectares allocated to other crops. The vegetables grown here are served at several of Emilia’s great restaurants and you’ll also find a small group of the local Mora Romagnola pigs roaming the farm. From these, Federico makes some of the most delicious Mortadella you are ever likely to eat.
In the cantina, Federico is always experimenting, fermenting and ageing in all sorts of vessels in countless ways. The end goal is the same, to make wines that are honest, delicious and representative of the territory.
In short, the kind of wines you’ll want to drink each and every day.