Tanca Nica Terra Forte Terre Siciliane 2023

Tanca Nica Terra Forte Terre Siciliane 2023

Tanca Nica
$80.00

Grape: Zibibbo
Vintage: 2023
Type: Orange

This low-intervention orange wine is a pure expression of zibibbo sourced from two ancestral contradas planted in 1930 and 1948. Francesco Ferreri and Nicoletta Pecorelli harvest the old bush vines from a rare volcanic soil type composed of fine red sand from basalt and obsidian breakdown. The grapes undergo an intensive skin maceration and spontaneous native fermentation to extract the full power and oiliness of the variety. It matures in neutral vessels and is bottled without filtration or added sulfur.

It pours a deep golden-amber color, releasing complex aromatics of dried apricot, preserved orange peel, and wild fennel. On the palate, the rich, texturally dense mouthfeel balances a concentrated fruit core with a fine, chalky grip. Flavors of candied citrus, sea salt, and black tea unfold across the tongue. A bright, saline acidity slices through the natural weight, keeping the framework fresh.

Tanca Nica is a tiny Pantelleria estate run by Francesco Ferreri and Nicoletta Bocca, working old bush vines on the island's black volcanic soils. Pantelleria is better known for sweet Passito di Pantelleria, but Tanca Nica explores a broader, wilder language for Zibibbo, Catarratto, Pignatello and other local grapes. Farming here is necessarily heroic: low alberello vines crouch against wind, drought and sun, often in small stone-walled parcels. The wines are made with minimal intervention and can be dry, macerated, salty and intensely Mediterranean, carrying caper, citrus peel, herbs, sea air and the isolation of the island.