Before the wine of the same name was invented in Marsala in the 18th century and subsequently shipped almost exclusively to England, there was already a very similar style of wine in the region, although it was not fortified with high-proof alcohol, but harvested late and fermented without additives.
Fabio Ferracane pays tribute to this traditional style with his Elisir, vinified exclusively from Catarratto. He removes most of the shoots from the vines early in the year in order to concentrate the berries of the few remaining grapes in a natural way. The harvest usually takes place in the first week of October, which is normal in the Weinviertel, but extremely late in Marsala. The grapes are then fermented in contact with their skins and matured in chestnut barrels for a year and a half. Elisir is neither fined nor filtered and is not sulphurised.
The result smells of quince and honey and has an intentional oxidative tone that gives the wine an additional dimension reflected in nuts and ripe oranges. The texture is initially taut, but becomes increasingly mellow towards the palate and finishes full-bodied and long.
Data Sheet
Grape variety: Catarratto
Vineyard: Situated at around 160 metres, predominantly limestone
Harvest: By hand, late harvest
Fermentation: spontaneous | wild yeasts, forty-day maceration on the skins
Ageing: in chestnut barrels
Filtration: no
SO₂: < 25mg/l
Alcohol content: 15.5% vol.
Closure: Natural cork
Drinking temperature: 10-12 °C
Perfect drinking maturity: from now - 2040
Content and price per litre: 0.75 l/(€42.25/l)
All the winegrowers listed on Vinonudo work with compost, organic fertiliser and natural preparations in their vineyards and do not use herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilisers.
