Azienda Agricola Skerk, Ograde 2022

25% Vitovska, 25% Malvasia, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Pinot Grigio

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Skerk’s signature blend. An ograda is a small plot enclosed by dry-stone walls to keep livestock out. Today the cellar stands where the ograda used to be, although the estate is restoring its dry-stone walls today. A symphony of aromas - candied citrus, grapefruit, orange blossoms, and Mediterranean herbs. This unique skin-contact blend offers a prismatic translation of its terroir. This vintage is particularly savory and floral, with tannic grip and a dry finish.

The 2022 vintage was picked in the second week of September. Fermented with wild yeasts. Macerates destemmed and with the skins for 10 days, with four or five punch-downs a day. The refinement is carried out in oak barrels of different capacities for at least 24 months and then in the bottle for another 5 months. VEGAN.

In one of Italy's most difficult and arid regions, 500 meters from the Slovenian border, 3rd generation producer Sandi Skerk cultivates approximately six hectares of vineyards. He employs the utmost respect for the natural environment and traditional winemaking methods. The viticulture here is truly heroic. The limestone and iron-rich soils of the plots, which are 250 meters above sea level, produce high-quality wines. The terraced vine rows supported by stacked-stone retaining walls that steeply descend toward the Gulf of Trieste and the Adriatic Sea emphasize this distinctive geography. Gentle marine breezes blow away fog and humidity from the vineyards. In a nutshell, these wines are very interesting, straightforward, and flavorful. 

Coming from a family of winegrowers, at first Sandi Skerk rejected the idea of being one himself. He studied engineering and went off to work in an office. However, in 1990, he chose to return to the family business. He soon took over the farming and production from his father, Boris, and by 2000 started to experiment with skin-contact techniques practiced by his grandfather. His grandfather would ferment all white grapes together on skins, and all reds together on skins for a length of 10-14 days. Utilizing only pristine fruit, Sandi keeps his cellar techniques disciplined while also straightforward. The wines are kept on lees until a month prior to bottling, to further support the wines’ own natural immune system. In this way, free sulfur targets land around only 20 ppm.