HAMBRE GRECCHETO UMBRIA IGT ORGANIC - ORANGE

“Grechetto tells its story through its most inconvenient part, which is the skin.”

This magnificent Orange is a natural wine, an exuberant example of a widespread movement among winemakers towards producing wine using simple or traditional methods. Although there is no uniform definition of natural wine, it is generally produced without the use of pesticides or herbicides and with few or no additives. It is produced on a small scale, using traditional rather than industrial techniques and fermented with native yeasts.

“Con tutta l’uva che buttate, voi non avete fame” (With all the grapes you throw away, you are not hungry), said grandpa after every gentle pressing. Sara, the fifth generation of the family, explains that the name of this wine, Hambre ("hunger" in Spanish, inspired by a Neruda poem), comes from an old saying that goes “you will never be hungry if you use Grechetto grapes until the very end”. Nowadays, most wine producers in the region only use the first pressing of Grechetto, because the juice tends to quickly acquire an amber colour when exposed to oxygen. The skins also give a tannic structure to the juice, so the second part of the Grechetto pressing is not usually used. Sara and her brother do things the old-fashioned way, using all the Grechetto. The beautiful label borrows the painting found in Francesco's studio on Rue Rivoli, highlighting the amber tones of this magnificent wine.

With a vibrant orange hue, the aroma presents spicy notes and orange zest. On the palate, it is very tasty, with ripe apricot and rhubarb.

A natural, spontaneously fermented and unfiltered wine, with good structure and complexity, but low alcohol content.

Respecting the serving temperature, which is that of a young red wine, it is a wine capable of accompanying you at all times. It can be paired with delicate seafood, such as oysters or grilled scallops, a seared tuna steak, tuna belly or salmon sashimi, a beef tartare or even confit cod, always without faltering. Surprising!

Origin: Sant'Andrea d'Agliano, Perugia, Umbria

Year: 2023

Grape varieties: 100% Grechetto

Alcohol content: 12.5%

Harvest and vinification: the harvest is manual. Two batches of Grechetto grapes are harvested ten days apart, starting in early September. The grapes are processed after Leonia's gentle pressing in a vertical press, in contact with oxygen. This allows the tannins to become less astringent, and fermentation continues without contact with the skins in stainless steel tanks. The amber colour comes from the concentration of the colour, not the maceration. At the end of fermentation, the batches are combined in stainless steel tanks. The aim of this vinification is to better understand Grechetto's skins and to waste nothing.

Serving temperature: should be served at 14°C

Cantina Montecorneo570

Montecorneo570 is a small family business in Sant'Andrea d'Agliano, in the province of Perugia, currently managed by siblings Sara and Federico Gallina, still with the help of their parents, Maria Cristina Ceccucci and Fausto Gallina. In Sant'Andrea d'Agliano for five generations, agriculture has always been part of this family. Wheat, fruit and shade trees, and, from the 1980s, vineyards, which Guido began to produce at number 570. Since 2010, the company shines with its truly unique wines, following the principles of organic farming. They do not use established enological protocols, allowing native grapes, such as Montepulciano, Grechetto and Merlot, to grow in limestone, sand and clay soils, creating wines that reflect the essence of Italy's green heart.

For white grapes, Grechetto is an important part of the vineyards, along with some varieties of Malvasia and Trebbiano Spoletino. Grechetto is a thick-skinned grape, resistant to mildew and with a long history in Umbria in the production of sweet wines. It is a small part of the blend of Umbria's most recognized white wine, Orvieto DOC, but in the Perugia region it is more important.

For red grapes, Sara and Federico's grandfather loved Montepulciano and decided to plant it, even though it is traditionally grown in Abruzzo, and there are also some Merlot vines.