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Tanca Nica + Zalto + Crawford River tasting this Saturday!

by Annandale Cellars

Tanca Nica

The volcanic island of Pantelleria sits isolated in the Mediterranean Sea, 100km southwest of Sicily, 60km east of Tunisian. Its local dialect, Pantesco, like the island's history and its culture, takes influence from both Sicilian and Arabic. In Pantesco, Tanca tersely describes a "small hilly land arranged in terraces in which vines grow", and the word Nica, equally economising but still evocative, as a "place where the thermal waters emerge from the seabed and mix with the Mediterranean blue".

And the wines from Tanca Nica show exactly this, the nurturing of the terroir with the energy of the sea, in their minimal intervention wines.

Tanca Nica is Nicoletta Pecorelli from Sardinia and Francesco Ferreri, a native of Pantelleria. Francesco grew up helping his grandfather make wine on his island home, and by the age of 14, already knew he wanted to become a vignaiolo like his grandfather. He left Pantelleria to study at a prestigious agricultural and oenological boarding school in Conegliano, Veneto. But after gaining experience in oenology labs and wineries across the globe, including New Zealand's biodynamic Seresin Estate the magnetic pull of Pantelleria brought him back to his grandfather's vineyards in 2016.

Pantelleria conjures a long history of winemaking and wine trading: the allies captured the island to strategically place themselves for their following invasion of Sicily in the aptly named attack in June 1943: "Operation Corkscrew". Zibibbo (or Muscat of Alexandria, which also shares a history of North African origins with its own Sicilian dialect) is widely grown on the island for the production of sweet Moscato, but when around 6000ha of Pantelleria was under vine in the 1960s, by 2010 this was reduced to just 500ha.

Francesco and Nicoletta share an ethos to revive traditional practices and know-how. With the Mediterranean island at the mercy of the prevailing Sirocco winds and a lack of fresh water on the island, even 2500 years ago, the Phoenicians developed the vite ad alberello (bush vine) technique. This technique involves planting low-density vines in circular hollows called "conca", which collect water during the winter. Growers regularly reshape the conca to provide shelter for the vines, keeping them only a few centimeters above the ground. This technique was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage practice on the island in 2014.

Nicoletta and Francesco currently manage 3 hectares divided into 10 plots across 6 contradas (local districts). They own 1 hectare while leasing the other two from locals and foreigners who possess dammuso (traditional houses) surrounded by vines they are unable or unwilling to maintain. As a result, the couple is frequently offered parcels to trade, allowing them to select and rediscover the best terroirs. These small vineyard plots are nestled in the island's nooks and crannies, dispersed among evergreen woodlands, smoking craters, and undulating hills.

Most of Pantelleria's vineyards are located in the western and northwestern parts of the island, sheltered from the Sirocco winds by the majestic Montagna Grande. These vineyards grow on two main soil types: "soki soki", a sandy soil composed of pumice (frothy lava rock) and lapilli (volcanic fragments), and "terra forte", a clay soil rich in aluminum and iron. Winemaking intervention is particularly minimal to allow the island's terroir to really shine through. Only a small amount of sulfur dioxide is used "if necessary, and the "amano" or hand-made approach from the vines to the bottle is evident on the bottles themselves: Nicoletta paints all 600 bottles with their "Terra Forte" label by hand.

In addition to the classic lineup, Tanca Nica produces small quantities of three outstanding single-vineyard Zibibbo wines, emphasising the study of the terroir. Only 200 bottles of each are produced, and only 12 bottles of each were imported to Australia. Each wine represents a distinct contrada, and the labels are designed based on the color of the soils: a low-alcohol, ethereal yellow label; a salty, umami-laden gray label and a heady, almost tannic red label. Tanca Nica stands as a truly unique project in Pantelleria and the global wine world. By embracing the island's ancient traditions and combining them with precise and transparent winemaking techniques, tantalizing wines are crafted with utmost respect for the natural environment.

Pure. Raw. Unadulterated. - Peta W

 

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Zalto

Zalto glasses are finally back!

We get calls and requests for these glasses all year round because once you've drunk from a Zalto you understand very quickly why these glasses are so special. They are the most lightweight and agile glasses on the market, so thin and sleek and perfectly tuned to maximise the drinking experience.

We've got good stock of the Universal and White Wine glasses, however there isn't a lot of the other styles available. So if you were after more Burgundy glasses hit this link quick! Also for the first time we've got some of their decanters and carafes in stock which look stunning! - Pete L

 

 

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Crawford River

Tasting 17th June

Saturday 3pm - 6pm

Join Seán in-store this Saturday as he pours some very special back vintages from Henty producers, Crawford River.

Not to be missed!

 

 

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