Zaro Eazy Oranžna 2022

Profile & Story

Zaro is a family winery on the Adriatic coast in Izola, in Slovenia's Slovenska Istra. Eazy Oranžna comes from a mixed, old-vine vineyard at 150 meters, on flysch and clay soils with southerly exposure, farmed organically. The wine blends Malvazija, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Yellow Muscat, hand-harvested in mid-September; the destemmed grapes macerate together on their skins for 14 days, though about 15% of the Malvazija juice is pressed off early to give the wine a flinty structure that balances the sunnier character of the old vines. Fermentation is spontaneous in stainless steel, with a small portion of the Malvazija aged in oak, and the finished wine rests two years in stainless steel before an unfiltered bottling of 6,000 bottles. The vineyard was originally slated to be grafted over to other varieties, but the quality of this wine earned the old vines a few more vintages.