producer profile

<p>In an era of increasingly homogenized,&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="post-terroir" title="1474">post-terroir</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural-ish wines</glossary> that taste more of process than place,&nbsp;producers&nbsp;like Nicoletta Pecorelli and Francesco Ferreri feel like a throwback to a core, increasingly lost tenet of what drew us to this world of <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> and winemaking in the first place. For us, the <glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural wine</glossary> movement has&nbsp;always been&nbsp;a philosophy revolving around healthy grapes from a specific place and <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> being transformed into the purest, most honest representation the farmer could achieve. We&#39;d tasted the Tanca Nica&nbsp;wines and were already believers, but a recent visit confirmed&nbsp;Pecorelli and Ferreri&#39;s&nbsp;passion and dedication for the wines and island of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;Moreover, it showed us just how&nbsp;unprecedented and ambitious the Tanca Nica project actually is.</p> <p>Before diving into the intricacies of Tanca Nica itself, let us provide some context on <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary> and its&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> A tiny island and Italian territory 55 miles southwest of <glossary term="Sicily" title="951">Sicily</glossary> and only 35 miles from Tunisia, it&#39;s most famous for its <glossary term="DOC" title="1156">DOC</glossary> capers and sweet <glossary term="Passito" title="765">passito</glossary> wine&nbsp;made from <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> grapes. While long known to be capable of making some of the world&#39;s most&nbsp;captivating wines, the weather conditions do not make it easy: because of constant <glossary term="Sirocco" title="1484">Sirocco</glossary> winds year round, the vines must be <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">trained</glossary> in <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">gobelets</glossary> just a few centimeters off the ground to avoid breakage.</p> <p>Despite being smack-dab in the Mediterranean, <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary>&nbsp;lacks any natural water resources and sees little rain. In such,&nbsp;circular basins - concas in <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantescan</glossary> dialect - are dug around each <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">gobelet</glossary> to retain winter rainfall. A technique called &#39;pizzicatura&#39;, which lasts from bud break to <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary><span class="zalup"><span><span>,</span></span></span> involves manually breaking off the taller vine shoots to make sure that the vines grow within the concas, which then serve a double purpose of water retention and additional protection from the <glossary term="Sirocco" title="1484">Sirocco</glossary> winds. Finally, since vegetal competition is so intense, vines must be planted at low density, with&nbsp;traditional plantations measuring&nbsp;two meters by two meters. This&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Training System" title="1039">training system</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> dubbed Alberello Pantesco, dates back thousands of years and is so unique it actually received UNESCO world heritage status a few years ago!&nbsp;</p> <p>World heritage or not, maintaining these vines requires painstaking manual labor for very little wine. Francesco estimates it takes 800 hours of work per&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> with <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> averaging out to 20<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary> in a normal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;This is somewhat offset with the fact that <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> is one of the only varieties capable of bringing <glossary term="Second Growth" title="937">second-growth</glossary> grapes to full&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturity</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but not by much (<glossary term="Second Growth" title="937">second-growth</glossary> <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary>&nbsp;average 2.&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>5<glossary term="hl/ha" title="528">hl/h</glossary></span></span>). Most of the vines are very old, and its not uncommon for their roots to have dug over six meters into the <glossary term="Mother Rock" title="690">mother rock</glossary> to find their nutrients. For those willing to put in the time, effort and passion to see it through, the <glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentration</glossary> and flavor in the grapes is exceptional. Sadly, it&#39;s no surprise that few if any are still up for the challenge. At its height, 5000 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines were planted on <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary>&#39;s 32.5 square miles; down to about 150 today, a good amount of those vines remain abandoned.</p> <p>Ok, four paragraphs in and we can finally start talking about Nicoletta Pecorelli and Francesco Ferreri! Francesco is a <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantescan</glossary> native and Nicoletta is from&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Sardinia" title="917">Sardinia</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The two met in Milan&nbsp;by total chance: Nicoletta worked as a sales assistant in Turin and was in Milan that day to fly back to <glossary term="Sardinia" title="917">Sardinia</glossary> for the holidays! Once Francesco had finished his <glossary term="Enology" title="422">enology</glossary> studies in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Verona" title="1084">Verona</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the&nbsp;couple&nbsp;moved to&nbsp;New Zealand to work at a company that produces <glossary term="Biodynamic Preparation" title="826">biodynamic preperation</glossary>s before&nbsp;returning&nbsp;to <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary>&nbsp;to&nbsp;start&nbsp;Tanca Nica in 2015. Francesco is from a long line of fisherman, but got the wine-bug in his teens working the family vines with his father and grandfather. While he&#39;d always felt the desire to return to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> he is quick to point out it wouldn&#39;t be possible without Nicoletta:&nbsp;</p> <p><em>&quot;Tanca Nica is OUR project, not mine. Without her this would never gotten off the ground or continue to exist.&quot;</em></p> <p>Ferreri and Pecorelli work 3.5&nbsp;<glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> spread over 15 <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> within nine&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Contrada" title="330">contradas</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> 50 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary> are from Francesco&#39;s family, the rest is rented from locals who don&#39;t want to see the vines go abandoned and an increasing amount of wealthy foreigners whose summer homes came with nearby vines. As they are the only <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> actively looking for new&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it is actually common for them to be offered <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plots</glossary> to rent. The couple has used this to their advantage, trading off and dropping certain areas in search of the very best&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Most are isolated by woods and were abandoned before they took them over.</p> <p>As Francesco explained during our visit, <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary> is a tiny island but has an incredible diversity in soil compositions, <glossary term="Microclimate" title="656">micro-climates</glossary> and <glossary term="Elevation" title="419">elevation</glossary> levels. As you will discover below, the&nbsp;Tanca Nica project is an unprecendented exploration and celebration of this diversity. Francesco elaborates:</p> <p><em>&quot;Every year we seek to capture the grapes&rsquo; life in the glass, in all of its phases (with regular tasting) until we put it in bottle. Especially regarding the </em><glossary term="Cru" title="1152"><em>cru</em></glossary><em> wines, we do not add a gram of </em><glossary term="Sulfites" title="993"><em>sulfur</em></glossary><em>, not because we are dogmatic in this discourse, but because we would like the wine to express all of itself with as much aroma as possible. For this reason, the </em><glossary term="Cru" title="1152"><em>cru</em></glossary><em> wines feel tight and closed off for a longer period than the other wines, needing at least a year in bottle (a thing we cannot do because we are still not able to keep in our storage to overcome the summer heat - but it is our objective for the future.)&quot;</em></p> <p>In <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantescan</glossary> dialect, the&nbsp;term &quot;Tanca Nica&quot; means small, hilly land cultivated and arranged in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terrace" title="1022">terraces</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;Each <glossary term="Terrace" title="1022">terraced</glossary> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> - tanca in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantescan&nbsp;</glossary><span>-</span></span></span> is <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> individually with various amounts of <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> - one day to three&nbsp;weeks - depending on the <glossary term="Phenols" title="784">phenolic</glossary> <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturity</glossary>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Most are pre-destined to go into Tanca Nica&#39;s largest production, &quot;Soki Soki&quot;. This 100% <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> is sourced from 11 tancas within six&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Contrada" title="330">contradas</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> each averaging 30&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It serves as a snapshot of the island&#39;s most common soil composition: <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sands</glossary> of <glossary term="Pumice" title="1482">pumice</glossary> and <glossary term="lapilli" title="1461">lapilli</glossary> known locally as Soki Soki. Meant to be accessible in its youth, the&nbsp;wine&nbsp;pops with bright fruit and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Aromatic" title="120">aromatics</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>At a whopping 1000 bottles, the second largest production is a <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary> called &quot;Terra Forte&quot;. Produced from two tancas of very old vines, here the <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> grows on&nbsp;&quot;terra forte&quot; soils composed of <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sandy</glossary> <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> from degraded <glossary term="Basalt" title="145">basalt</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Obsidian" title="1483">obsidian</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The result is a much more powerful, structured expression of <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> that, while keeping the grapes&#39; trademark aromatic qualities, is more serious and age-worthy.&nbsp;</p> <p>Next are four <glossary term="Cru" title="1152">cru</glossary> wines, all single-tanca expressions of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary><span>:</span></span></span></p> <p><em>&quot;Since 2019, we have focused our attention on four </em><glossary term="Plot" title="1133"><em>plots</em></glossary><em> which, due to their characteristics, we consider the &nbsp;&quot;</em><glossary term="Grand Cru" title="501"><em>Grand Crus</em></glossary><em>&quot; of the island. This type of work can only be done if the soil is alive, as the </em><glossary term="Microflora" title="658"><em>microfauna</em></glossary><em> interacts with the roots of the plants in a symbiotic exchange and are able to read the characteristics of the soil perfectly. To keep the wine as lively and faithful as possible to the territory, we don&#39;t add even a gram of </em><glossary term="Sulfites" title="993"><em>sulfur dioxide</em></glossary><em>. The label colors highlight the color of the terrain profile:</em></p> <p><em>- <strong>Yellow label (from the Cufur&agrave; district)</strong>: a </em><glossary term="Plot" title="1133"><em>plot</em></glossary><em> made up of yellow </em><glossary term="Pumice" title="1482"><em>pumice</em></glossary><em>. The wine is always delicate in its aromas and structure, more immediate than the other three labels. The scents reflect the maquis: alyssum and wild thyme.</em></p> <p><em>- <strong>Gray label (from in the Rukia district)</strong>: a </em><glossary term="Plot" title="1133"><em>plot</em></glossary><em> made up of gray </em><glossary term="Pumice" title="1482"><em>pumice</em></glossary><em> with a layer of volcanic </em><glossary term="Mother Rock" title="690"><em>mother rock</em></glossary><em> just 40 cm deep. Among the </em><glossary term="Cru" title="1152"><em>crus</em></glossary><em>, it is the one that needs the most time to express itself: at the beginning it is </em><glossary term="Reduction" title="847"><em>reduced</em></glossary><em>, with a slight </em><glossary term="Mouse" title="693"><em>mouse</em></glossary><em>, but immediately after the summer it becomes complex and acquires an incredible depth. This is the windiest district of the island and I like to think that this is also felt in the wine.</em></p> <p><em>- <strong>Red label (from the San Marco district):</strong> a </em><glossary term="Plot" title="1133"><em>plot</em></glossary><em> made up of red </em><glossary term="Sand" title="909"><em>sand</em></glossary><em> rich in </em><glossary term="Iron" title="547"><em>iron</em></glossary><em> and aluminium. The wine naturally tends to </em><glossary term="Oxidation" title="754"><em>oxidize</em></glossary><em>, so much so that it can seem like a raisin base (that is, a dry raisin wine without sugar). Grapes that ripen near the sea, the wine absorbs all the summer heat.</em></p> <p><em>- <strong>Black label (from the Khaggiar district):</strong> a </em><glossary term="Plot" title="1133"><em>plot</em></glossary><em> made up of black </em><glossary term="Basalt" title="145"><em>basalt</em></glossary><em>, a very hard and heavy rock. The wine resembles the red label, but is much more austere.&quot;</em></p> <p>Pecorelli and Ferreri also produce a micro<span class="zalup"><span><span>-</span><glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary> </span></span>of&nbsp;<glossary term="Catarratto" title="249">Catarratto</glossary> called &quot;Kaffefi&quot;.&nbsp;It is&nbsp;named after&nbsp;the contrada where 40 to 80 year old vines grow within a single tanca. It is the only white wine that sees no&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> though it does go through a long, 24 hour <glossary term="Pressing" title="827">press</glossary> to give it extra structure.&nbsp;</p> <p>Next in the lineup is &quot;Firri Firri&quot;, a&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="clairet" title="1467">clairet</glossary><span>-</span></span></span>style <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of 85%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Catarratto" title="249">Catarratto</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 10% <glossary term="Pignatello" title="797">Pignatello</glossary> and 5%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Ansonica/Inzolia" title="1323">Inzolia</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It&#39;s principally sourced from two&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> though random vines of <glossary term="Pignoletto" title="798">Pignoletto</glossary> are <glossary term="Co-plantation" title="309">co-planted</glossary> in many of the tancas and end up in the final wine. These varieties have historically always been&nbsp;planted along&nbsp;the walls of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terrace" title="1022">terraces</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p>Only one &quot;real&quot; red wine is made, and in tiny quantities. It&#39;s called &quot;Nivuro Nostrale&quot;, and is made by <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinifying</glossary> 97 plants (count em!) of 100+ year old <glossary term="Pignatello" title="797">Pignatello</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Alicante" title="90">Alicante</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> These grapes come from <em>&quot;the most intimate and least known part of our island.&quot;&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Two <glossary term="Pétillant Naturel" title="778">petillants naturels</glossary> are produced if the <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> permits. &quot;Ghirbi Bianco&quot; is 100% <glossary term="Second Growth" title="937">second-growth</glossary> <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibbibo</glossary> grapes and &quot;Ghirbi Rosato&quot; is from seven <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">autochthonous</glossary> <glossary term="Varietal" title="1071">varieties</glossary> that grow under the walls of the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terrace" title="1022">terraces</glossary><span>:</span></span></span>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Catarratto" title="249">Catarratto</glossary><span>,</span></span></span>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Alicante" title="90">Alicante</glossary><span>,</span></span></span>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pignatello" title="797">Pignatello</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Ansonica/Inzolia" title="1323">Inzolia</glossary>&nbsp;Imperiale and <glossary term="Ansonica/Inzolia" title="1323">Inzolia</glossary> Minuta, <glossary term="Grillo" title="511">Grillo</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Carignan" title="237">Carignan</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><em>&quot;</em><glossary term="Vinification" title="1104"><em>Vinifying</em></glossary><em> them as an </em><glossary term="Methode Ancestrale" title="1311"><em>ancestral method</em></glossary><em> is a way to enhance these grapes which are often not </em><glossary term="Harvest" title="521"><em>harvested</em></glossary><em>. The sparkling wines&nbsp;are not produced every year.&quot;</em></p> <p>Finally, this is <glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary> so there has to be a&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Passito" title="765">passito</glossary><span>!</span></span></span> Dubbed &quot;Passulata&quot;, Francesco describes it as:<em> &quot;the wine that best represents </em><glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759"><em>Pantelleria</em></glossary><em>. Making this wine is an immeasurable act of love towards our island which, like Nature, knows how to be very generous, but also hard, tiring, unpredictable and ever-changing, different with each season.&quot;</em></p> <p>Over the years, we have had the honor of working with some of the most innovative and trailblazing producers in Europe. In our estimation, what&nbsp;binds them has always been a passion for expressing&nbsp;a&nbsp;sense of place, with&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organics</glossary><span>,</span></span></span>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Hand Harvesting" title="520">hand-harvesting</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Native Yeast" title="538">native yeasts</glossary> and <glossary term="Minimal Intervention" title="664">minimal&nbsp;intervention</glossary> serving as tools, a&nbsp;means to an end. As the promotion of <glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural wine</glossary> continues devolving&nbsp;into big business, marketing gimmicks and pigeon-holing&nbsp;a one-funk-fits-all visual/flavor profile, it&#39;s both reassuring and a breath of fresh air to meet a couple as dedicated, humble, passionate and visionary as Nicoletta and Francesco.</p> <p><em>&quot;We don&#39;t do this for fame or recognition: we do it for the island. None of the rules I learned in school applied to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I didn&#39;t like <glossary term="Zibibbo" title="1131">Zibibbo</glossary> at first because it didn&#39;t conform to what I&#39;d been taught. I had to learn everything with the help of my father and hands-on experience. This liberated me and forged a path that made me love the grape and its place on&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pantelleria" title="759">Pantelleria</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We know our wines are expensive, but we promise this is not speculation and nothing else but the estimated value of our work.&quot;&nbsp;</em></p> <p>For even more in-depth information and photos, please read our visit recap from November 2023 (coming soon)</p>