A spritely skin-contact number from Jacopo - heady with wildflowers, minerals, yellow plums and citrus peel leading to fine tannins and a clean salty finish. This hazy orange wine glows gold in the glass and begs to be drunk in the sunshine. The skin-contact sister to Jacopo’s Fishing Wine, if you like. As always, it's a wine which makes for compelling drinking. Rustic and full of joy with fruit, citrus, salt and minerality sitting in happy harmony.
Made from a blend of local varietals- Procanico, Malvasia Toscana, Verdello and Drupeggio, from forty five year old vines. The grapes were fermented on the skins for a week as whole bunches before being pressed into vats for a year of rest. A wine which emulates proper ‘vini contadini’ - rustic, nourishing and very much alive.
Ajola is a small farm made up of vines and olive groves. It is situated in the rolling hills outside Orvieto, at the crossroads of Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany. Jacopo Battista began the project back in 2012, with a view to nurture the plants back to life after several years of neglect. Having previously worked at Le Coste, Jacopo was guided by the idea of tending land in the same way farmers from previous generations had. A healthy way of farming that is honest and respectful to both land and history, an alternative to industrial farming. Jacopo has worked organically since the beginning, treating the vines with just a small amount of copper and sulphur and preparing various herbal teas to boost their health.
Jacopo farms three and a half hectares of vines up to 75 years old planted over sandy loam of volcanic origin, set at up to 400 metres above sea level. He also has begun farming an additional hectare and a half of Procanio and Ansonica of old vineyards where volcanic soil are made up of black sand and stones. The resulting wines are pure, rustic and always incredibly easy to drink.
