Vitovska

Vitovska is a rare white grape from the Karst plateau on the border between Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia, near Trieste) and Slovenia. It grows in thin red soil over limestone, swept by the cold bora wind, and gives wines of real tension: pear, lemon, wild herbs and a saline, stony finish. The Karst is home to some of Italy's most important natural-wine producers, who often make Vitovska with extended skin contact in amphora or large wood, producing amber-tinted, textured wines that age for years. Production is tiny, and good bottles are prized.