Polvanera Verdeca Orange Wine 2019

Cellar for up to 4 years. Serve chilled.

Polvanera is best known for its opulent reds made from the local Primitivo grape, but winemaker Filippo Cassano has also turned his hand to crafting exceptional and unusual white wines. This bottling is made from the little-known rare Verdeca grape which is thought to originate from Puglia. Cassano’s expression is made as an orange wine with a 20-day maceration on the skins to extract plenty of flavour and tannins. The wine is then kept in stainless steel vats for six months and aged for a further 3 months in the bottle before release.

On the nose there are attractive notes of bitter almonds, acacia flowers, honey and white peach while the first sip reveals a medium body, gentle tannins, and a long and elegant finish. The bold flavour profile makes this an excellent gastronomic wine with plenty of potential for pairing with fish, chicken and tricky ingredients like asparagus.

Set in the modest town of Gioia del Colle, Polvanera takes its name from the black soils which characterise this part of south-eastern Puglia. Filippo Cassano founded his ground-breaking winery here in 2003 and has quickly stamped his own vision on the region. All of his vineyards are farmed organically and he prefers to work with wild yeasts and a light touch in the winery wherever possible.