Quarticello, Despina

A wonderfully fresh, cloudy sparkling wine made with the pretty, perfumed local variety, Malvasia di Candia. Initially fermented in vat, the wine is transferred to bottle with a little must for the second fermentation. The gentle bubbles carry pure, vibrant flavours of grapefruit zest before a clean, salty finish. The perfect wine for celebrating the arrival of La Primavera.

Grapes: Malvasia di Candia

Place: Emilia-Romagna, Italy

ABV: 12.5%

Colour: White

Style: Sparkling

Vintage: 2022

PRODUCER PROFILE

From his family’s vineyards in Montecchio Emilia, Roberto Maestri makes a handful of sparkling wines that equal the best in the region.

Roberto works organically on five hectares of vines sat on clay-gravel soils. He only uses wild yeasts and his bubbles are made the traditional way here in Emilia, with the second fermentation completed in the bottle.

Roberto’s wines are deceptively simple, but always delicious, with eating well and good times in mind. They offer real refreshment and make so much sense alongside some salumi or a nice hunk of cheese. Perhaps that is why they are the first wines we reach for time and time again to begin a meal.