To emphasize identity and origin and to allow the fruit to speak for itself, director and oenologist Giacomo Mastretta applies a strict policy of non-interventionist winemaking. The vineyard management produces small, healthy grape bunches and the average yield per plant is one kilo or less of fruit.
While La Porta di Vertine respects and embraces vintage differences, we strongly believe that scrupulous vine management in poor soil determines the fruit’s quality; therefore, cellar corrections become superfluous. The winemaking itself is a minimalist affair.
The grapes are picked by hand and immediately transported to the cellar, they are destemmed, but not crushed and put into concrete tanks. Sulfer is avoided from beginning to end of the fermentation, which is triggered off by indigenous yeast, and no mechanical means of temperature control are present. Because of the exceptional health of the grapes long maceration times, often up to 60 days or more, and whole bunch fermentation including the stalks are employed without the danger of over extraction. The wines are aged in the traditional Slovenian oak casks as well as oval Austrian casks and double barriques.