Guerila Retro White 2021
The vibe: This wine is from the southwest of Slovenia down into the Vipava Valley near the sea. This coastline is home to Italy and Croatia and produces incredibly unique wines with an undeniable sense of place and terroir. White wines from this region often have a Mediterranean herbaceousness that really comes through with skin contact. This wine in particular is in a region that straddles both alpine and Mediterranean climates, with vineyards planted atop steep mountain tops where the temperature is cooler, and is considered one of the most desirable regions in Slovenia for cultivating vineyards. Retro white is an ode to the traditional style of wine made in the Vipava Valley, a field blend of varietals planted alongside each other, harvested together and fermented together, known locally as ‘Vipavec.’ Two weeks of skin contact amps up the aromatics and complex notes of dried flowers and herbs, with an exotic honey-drenched fruity finish.
The winemaker: Zmagoslav Petrič was born in 1956 to a peasant family, the same year his father Jožef received an award for reviving the grape varietal Pinela. Coincidence or fate? In 2005, after a career in another field, Guerrila was born and vineyards were planted with old local and native varietals. In total there are now 22 hectares of vineyards, with all of the work taking place in accordance with the natural cycles of the biodynamic calendar.
The geeky details: Rebula, Zelen, Pinela, Malvazija (field blend – unfixed percentages). Manual harvest of vineyard selection biodynamically grown grapes sorted in the vineyard. All varieties are harvested and fermented at the same time, with a two-week maceration of the grape mash and spontaneous fermentation occurring with indigenous yeast. Mild pressing and one-year maturation of the wine in large traditional neutral oak barrels in which the process of malolactic fermentation takes place. The wine matures on its own lees without flow for one year. Bottling with minimal addition of sulphur without filtration.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Treat this “white” almost like a light red! Serve it around 50F and let it open up throughout the course of the evening. This is a complex, bolder skin contact wine and should pair with equally bold and rich dishes. Moroccan or Ethiopian cuisine for example. I’ve also been dreaming about a crab risotto I had recently and may or may not attempt to recreate it myself and pair with this wine!
Album pairing: French Swimming Club - From Paris