COS Rami 2019

Drink now through to 2028. Serve chilled.

This unusual orange wine is made by top Sicilian natural winemakers COS who are based in Vittoria in the south-eastern corner of the island. The winery was founded in 1980 by a trio of friends, Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano and Giusto Occhipinti, who had a vision to revive Sicily’s reputation as a producer of excellent artisanal wines. COS has been following biodynamic practices since 2000 and was also certified as an organic winery in 2007.

Rami is crafted from two local white grape varieties, Grecanico and Insolia, which are grown on their estate vineyards in Fontane and Bastonaca. The grapes are carefully harvested by hand and undergo spontaneous fermentation using wild yeasts in concrete tanks. The skins are left in the tank for 15 days to extract plenty of colour and flavours from the grapes, creating a richly-textured, robust style of orange wine.

On the nose there are heady aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle along with bitter almonds and zingy citrus. The first sip reveals hints of dried apricots, toasted nuts, and a distinctive salty minerality from the soils of Vittoria. Powerful and intense, this is a great wine to keep in the cellar for a few years or serve now alongside flavoursome creamy chicken or fish dishes and rich risottos.