Amphora wines
Amphora wine ferments and matures in clay. The material breathes, allows the wine to mature and adds no foreign aromas whatsoever; this is how wines of firm structure and distinctive texture are created. The selection ranges from Trentino via Abruzzo to Burgenland and comes from estates that work organically or biodynamically and intervene as little as possible in the cellar.
What clay does to the wine
The amphora is the oldest vessel in wine culture. In Georgia, Qvevri buried in the ground have been used for fermentation for around 8,000 years; in Spain the vessel is called a Tinaja, in Roman Italy a Dolium. Clay breathes, it allows the wine to take up oxygen slowly and adds no wood aroma to it. This produces wines with a firm structure, fine tannins and a texture reminiscent of woven fabric. Maceration and ageing can take place in the same vessel. The background is explained in the article Amphorenwein.
The estates in this selection
Many of the wines come from northern and southern Italy. Foradori in Trentino bottles Teroldego and Nosiola aged in Spanish tinajas, while Cirelli in Abruzzo matures Montepulciano and Trebbiano in clay. Austria contributes estates from Weinviertel and Burgenland, and Priorat offers Grenache and Carignan grown on slate. What they all share is organic, often biodynamic work in the vineyard and patience in the cellar.
How to recognise an amphora wine
All the wines in this selection are dry, and most consider themselves natural wines. If you are looking for a juicy, dark-fruited wine, reach for a Teroldego from the tinaja; if you like grip, bitter almond and herbal spice, choose a wine with longer skin contact, as is customary for orange wine. At the table, the dark, structured wines pair well with mushroom dishes, hearty stews and braised roasts; specific suggestions can be found in Wein zu Pilzen. The lighter, skin-fermented ones go beautifully with spiced vegetables and mature cheese.
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