VISPO LITRO
GREATER ITALY
Vispo Litro is a project focusing on the promotion of small, organic grape growers – and their unique terroirs – across Italy. From the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea this limited, collaborative effort employs star Alto Piemontese enologist Cristiano Garella whose expertise touches quite a few excellent wineries that are imported to Australia (including our champions, Crotin). These are fresh, clean and textured wines in a generous litre format. With their super high quality fruit – often from each estate's younger vines – they drink beautifully over many days making them excellent by the glass options.
Each bottle denotes the grower, acknowledging their work and promoting traceability. All the wines are certified organic and are spontaneously fermented. They have low sulfur additions and are unfined, unfiltered and a joy to drink.
THE WINES
Vispo Litro ‘Bianco’
Gently crafted with young-vine Ribolla Gialla from renowned Friulano producer I Clivi, Vispo’s litre Bianco is a refreshing, detailed white with honeycomb, white flowers and depth of fruit driven to a classy finish. It’s an aperitivo gift with enough character and oomf to match seafoods, clear broths and light white pasta dishes. Value for money is a notable strength of Sfera’s range – a point we will surely make time and again.
Vispo Litro ‘Macerato’
This version of Vispo’s macerated white comes from the limestone soils of organic winery Polvanera around Murgia in Puglia. Here the white grape Verdeca finds its home and handles clever extended skin contact marvelously. On first tasting this was a thrilling surprise for us, and not just a fashionably orange coloured wine. ‘Macerato’ has a wonderful structure from skin tannin that is overlaid with plentiful fruit for balance and pleasure. Apricot marmalade, mandarin and orange blossom are features as well as the tingly acidity that keeps the whole show moving. This is proper macerated white wine at a ridiculously low price point.
Vispo Litro ‘Rosato’
Organically grown Nebbiolo from Crotin worked by enologist Cristaino Garella? This is something to make you stop and listen. Sandy soils, altitude and mature vines give this wine lovely cherry fruit elegance and delicacy with depth – true Nebbiolo character. A spell binding wine that screams quality and builds a very strong case for this regal grape as a rosato, although we have been convinced for years - see Antoniolo’s gorgeous Rosato
Vispo Litro ‘Rosso’
This is a shake-up in the landscape of under ripe, frustratingly thin red wines that are sold ‘to be chilled’. Vispo Rosso does chilled red at an elite level, but is perhaps ‘more’ as an ambient offering and hence an all year-rounder. This particular version has layers of fruits ranging dark to light red, each contributing to a fruit-complex glass of red. From Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardia, it’s an amalgamation of Barbera, Pinot Noir, Croatina and Riesling.