2024 Lunaria Ancestrale Malvasia Pet-Nat

Region: Terre di Chieti > Abruzzo > Italy

Grapes: Malvasia       

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: certified organic farming, Demeter-certified Biodynamic; clay soil, initial fermentation on skins in stainless steel, non-disgorged, no dosage, no added SO2; zero-zero; 12% ABV

Winemakers: Camillo Zulli 

• Biodynamic pet-nat from Abruzzo
• A blazing summer sunset
• Floral, sultry and a wee bit salty
• Citrus, peach and pear 
• If grapefruit kombucha and a tangerine gummy bear had a baby
• Clean, bright and bone-dry, zero funk, all fire

About Lunaria, from Cantina Orsogna

Founded in 1964 by just seven producers, the Cantina Orsogna is now an expansive co-op winery made up of over 600 small growers. Co-ops are often looked down upon for their large scale production of supermarket wine but Cantina Orsogna is different. Nearly all of their growers are certified organic and many are certified biodynamic.  Camillo makes the wine, but sisters Roberta and Luciana Cicchitti run the business side of the winery.

The Lunaria line of wines is reserved especially for the biodynamic grapes and is much smaller production. Not surprisingly we like a lot of the things this group is doing. First, one of the primary ways they support biodynamic agriculture amongst their growers is crop rotation. Biodiversity is SO important for SO many reasons – soil health and climate change to name just two. And they also make our *second* favorite Italian product, olive oil! (the olive trees are also certified organic). Finally, the unique closure, a rope tied around the neck of the bottle is based on the old school method traditional to that region. They even work with a local non-profit to tie the ropes that supports employment for people with special needs and also support the activities of the WWF LIFE Euroturtles project to protect turtles in the Mediterranean.