Skerlj is a viticultural reality as unique as the land that hosts it. The strength of the encounter between limestone mountains, sea and wind is reflected in Matej's stubbornness in turning his love for their land into a challenge to offer his interpretation of the Karst within their bottles.

The Skerlj winery began as a traditional farm on the Karst plateau, surrounded by limestone hills in the Sales region. Nestled between the rocks, the vineyard of twelve plots of red soil is home to indigenous Malvasia, Vitovska and Teran grape varieties. The Skerlj brothers' production philosophy is inspired by nature's patience and cycles, but also by its harshness: interventions on the vines are limited, to allow the roots to sink into the rock in search of nourishment, guaranteeing the best expression of the stony soil. Winemaking is another testament to Matej's artisanal approach: the grapes ferment spontaneously on the skins with only indigenous yeasts and rest for two years, at constant temperature and humidity, in oak barrels in the cellar carved out of the same rock from which they come. Here, too, the artisanal vision dictates minimal intervention in the winemaking process: bottling takes place without filtration, "a direct and unaltered passage from vineyard to bottle", as Matej describes it.

Skerlj's wines have been defined as a faithful account of the Karst, a harmonious contrast between the most natural management of the vineyards and the scrupulous care taken in winemaking, a reflection of the oxymoronic characteristics of this land. The authenticity and know-how of Matej's cellar nevertheless leave room for experimentation, which has led - and will continue to lead - to surprising tastings over the years. Matej Skerlj's passion for their roots is reflected in the complex, lively identity of their handcrafted wines, which speak of their history and of a region where man has faded into the background in favor of nature.

Selection

Vitovska

Skerlj's Vitovska condenses the purest essence of the Karst, that small appendage of frontier overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. The distinctive features of this area are the biting bora that rises forcefully from the north and the extensive limestone rock that emerges from every corner and colors the landscape a luminous white. The soil is sparse, poor and red (due to the high presence of iron), making viticulture very difficult. Matej Skerlj knows his territory well and uses love, passion and hard work to cultivate the grapes traditionally found in this environment. A challenge that is met every year with the production of authentic bottles with a strong territorial imprint, the result of genuine work based on natural vineyard management and a strictly artisanal philosophy.

Skerlj's Vitovska wine comes from the small village of Sales, in a unique and spectacular landscape where rock, sea, wind and mountains coexist in a harsh and rugged nature. The grapes come from healthy, pure vines that penetrate their roots into the limestone between cracks, crevices and caverns, absorbing all the nutrients of the region. The chalky minerality is in fact the most distinctive element that identifies Skerlj wines and baptizes them as a pure karst breed. The soil is worked without chemical elements, allowing it to grow intact and preserving all its vital characteristics. In the cellar, too, the process proceeds in the same way, with little interventionism, leaving nature to complete its cycles: spontaneous vinification, long maceration on the skins and ageing for at least 24 months in wooden barrels stored in the cellar dug into the rock.

The result of Skerlj Vitovska is an orange wine with a simple, typical profile that depicts all the nuances of the Italian Karst. In fact, it has an orange color with golden highlights. The olfactory bouquet is highly varied, marked by notes of apricot, orange peel, iodine nuances, echoes of salinity, resin, honey and balsamic herbs. The olfactory picture is completed by a rocky mineral vein that also emerges on the palate, flanked by vibrant freshness and an overflowing saline note. The sip is rich, frank and generous, with great territorial coherence.

Malvasia

Skerlj's Malvasia is a white wine macerated on the skins, which comes from the wonderful Karst area of Trieste. On this white limestone plateau, beaten by the bora wind and overlooking the blue sea of the Gulf of Trieste, Matej Skerlj grows vines of Malvasia istriana, a special non-aromatic clone of this ancient vine of Greek origin. This is a wine of character which, thanks to contact with the skins, offers very intense and complex aromas, ranging from Mediterranean herbs to fruit and iodine and marine memories. This is a distinctive white wine that succeeds in conveying the austere, rocky landscape of this part of the Mediterranean nestled in "Mitteleuropa".

Malvasia di Skerlj orange wine comes from soils typical of the karst zone, characterized by limestone parent rock, often outcropping, covered by a thin layer of red earth, rich in ferrous minerals. A laborious viticulture, which nevertheless produces wines with a unique personality. After harvesting, the grapes are fermented in wood with indigenous yeasts and maceration on the skins. It matures for 24 months in wooden barrels and is bottled unfiltered.

In the glass, it has an intense golden-yellow color with slight amber highlights. The bouquet is reminiscent of citrus peel, aromatic Mediterranean maquis herbs, yellow fruit, ripe apricot, exotic fruit and sweet hints of orange honey. The palate is intense, with rich, multiform aromas that anticipate a persistent, fresh and flavorful finish.