£14.50–£15.20, Aitken Wines, The Grape Kitchen, ND John, Love Wine, The Wine Box, Dylanwad
The idea behind the wacky name and label of this Sicilian wine is to make it instantly clear that it’s an orange wine. I’m sure I’m showing my age when I say I’m not entirely persuaded that it creates the right impression, but I do find the apricot-coloured liquid in the bottle very persuasive.
It's a proper orange wine, not an apologetic introduction to the style. I don’t mean that it’s hard work for the uninitiated, but it is bone-dry, firmly structured and energisingly crisp – and this framework makes a perfect backdrop for the juicy apricot and Seville orange marmalade fruit, the pinch of spice and coffee-bean twist.
Although it goes under the blanket Terre Siciliane IGP, Orange-utan is from the organic and sustainable Cortese estate (Azienda Agricola Cortese) in Vittoria, southeast Sicily, owned by the innovative Girelli family, who also own the nearby Santa Tresa estate. Previously it belonged to Giovanna Cortese, hence the name. It has nothing to do with the Cortese grape.
The grape varieties in this wine are Inzolia (80%) and Zibibbo (aka Muscat of Alexandria). The fruit is all hand-harvested, destemmed, gently crushed and fermented on its skins at 17–19º, but separately – the Inzolia for two to three weeks and the more aromatic Zibibbo for six weeks with daily punching down. The two are then blended and kept on fine lees for three months before bottling.
You can drink it as an aperitif, as Cortese suggests, but it’s even better with food. It goes well with fish with spices and can also be paired with meatier food. I enjoyed it with a rare magret de canard, garlicky fried mushrooms and roast cauliflower flavoured with caraway seeds. 12.5%. Empty bottle weight: 548g.
Cortese ORANGE-utan 2023, Bianco Terre Siciliane, Italy
£14.95–£17, Aitken Wines, The Grape Kitchen, ND John, Love Wine, The Wine Box, Dylanwad, Drink Finder, Reserve Wines
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