Ahearne Vino, `Wild Skins` 6 Bottle case, 75cl

The 'Wild Skins' has a lovely pale golden hue with aromas of wild sage, fennel and rosemary. On the palate, there are hints of honey quince alongside pear and green fruit with fresh acidity and a hint of the minerality. Underlying texture also supports the crunchy phenolic character.

'Wild Skins' is a blend of three varieties found on the island of Hvar - Kuc, Bogdanuša and Pošip. The Bogdanuša and Kuc vineyards are situated on the cooler northern side of the island on the Unesco protected Ager plain. Whilst the Pošip vines are situated on the southern side of the island just outside the town of Hvar. The soils are predominantly red and the vines are north facing on shallow slopes. They are all trained in the double Guyot method.

Each variety was fermented using the wild yeasts found naturally occurring on the vines. The time the must was in contact with the skin varied from 10 to 340 days. Each parcel underwent natural malolatic fermentation and a small portion was kept on its lees for 21 months to add a toasty autolysis character to the wine. Each ferment was cooled if temperatures rose above 30°C to avoid any overt volatile acidity. All the varieties were fermented separately and kept sur lie for eight months with regular bâtonnage to build texture.

English-born Jo Ahearne MW has been making wine on the Dalmatian island of Hvar in Croatia since 2014. In 1998, she completed her oenology degree in Australia where she worked a vintage at Charles Melton in the Barossa. After some years spent consulting across Australia and Europe, Jo decided to make her own wine in Croatia in 2014. She saw huge potential in Hvar’s top vineyard sites and moved there full-time in 2016. Jo describes the island as one of the most beautiful places on earth, with a wealth of old vines, indigenous varieties and fantastic soils. Croatia has 130 indigenous grape varieties and Hvar itself has a number of varieties which only grow on the island. Jo shines a light on Hvar’s potential by using these local grape varieties and employing low-intervention winemaking. The fruit is sourced from local growers, with a focus on varieties unique to Hvar