Dario Princic's entry into the amber wine world, a Chardonnay and Sauvignon blend from Oslavia in Friuli with 5 to 7 days of skin contact, producing a wine of beeswax, apricot, and pickled citrus complexity that is more immediately approachable than his longer-macerated wines.
Tasting Notes
Amber gold with a natural haze. The nose shimmers with aromas of beeswax, blood orange marmalade, pickled apricot, incense, and saffron honey, with balsamic herbs as the wine opens. On the palate it is textural and full, with a savoury, grippy character from skin contact and a long, complex, mineral finish. An extraordinary everyday orange wine from one of Friuli's great masters.
Quick Facts
- Grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (field blend)
- Origin: Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Oslavia, Collio)
- Style: Orange wine, 5 to 7 days skin contact, organic since 1988, unfiltered, low sulphur
- Winemaking: Old vine parcels, 5 to 7 days skin maceration in open vats, aged separately in old local wood, no fining or filtration, minimal sulphur
- Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Food Pairing
Versatile and food-loving: aged cheeses, charcuterie, grilled fish, rich pasta, and complex vegetable dishes. One of the most food-friendly orange wines in existence.
Serving
Serve at 12-14°C. Decant for 15 minutes and allow to evolve in the glass. Can also be enjoyed slightly warmer than a conventional white.
About the Producer
Dario Princic has been making wine in the village of Oslavia on the Italian-Slovenian border since 1993, long before the term "natural wine" existed. Working 10 hectares of steeply terraced clay-limestone vineyards, he farms organically and uses extended skin macerations of 8 to 45 days to produce wines of extraordinary complexity and individuality. Alongside neighbours Radikon and Gravner, Dario helped establish Oslavia as one of the most important addresses in the global orange wine movement. He calls himself an "artisan of wine," and his wines are found on the world's finest restaurant lists.
