2019 Indigeno Calanchi Rosso

Region: Abruzzo < Italy

Grapes: Montepulciano

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, limestone “Calanchi” soils; spontaneous fermentation in open vats and skin contact for one day, 8 months in fiberglass; bottled unfiltered/unfined with no added sulfites; 11% ABV

Cantina Indigeno is a small project from a group of three friends in Italy’s Abruzzo region, focused on making fresh, low-alcohol, highly drinkable natural wines from local grape varieties.  Their vineyards are planted on a mix of sand and clay, some facing the Adriatic Sea and others, like the grapes for this wine, are way up high (500m) at the foot of the Gran Sasso mountains. Everything is organically farmed and, in the cellar, it’s spontaneous fermentation, indigenous yeasts, no temperature control, no filtration and absolutely zero additions. Playing with a combo of stainless steel, fiberglass and amphora, they read each cuvee and decide which vessel best suits the fruit in that vintage – like children, no two are alike.  As my friend Giovanni, the importer of this wine, says, “drinking their wine is like listening to a Punk band. Definitely never boring ... always wild and electric.” Like this Calanchi cuvee (named after its particular type of poor limestone soil) – it’s a refreshing, light red that is definitely wild, but doesn’t stray too far into the funk zone.  You'll want this one with any and all BBQ or outdoor eating situations.

SERVE SLIGHTLY CHILLED