Vernaccia, Silvio Carta, Sardegna, Italy, 2017 - Try w/ Fried Chicken

Vital Signs: This 100% Vernaccia di Oristano from the sub-region Valle del Tirso, totally different from the Vernaccia di San Gimignano found in Tuscany. "Vernaccia" itself is a pejorative form of the Italian word Vernaculo, meaning "common" or "indigenous", and has been ascribed to a number of otherwise unrelated varietals throughout the country. This is a wine of process, aged in 800-liter chestnut barrels filled about two-thirds of the way up to allow for the development of flor (that is a benign veil of yeast that also forms on fino sherry).

Uncle Bill's Take:  I'm thrilled to celebrate this unappreciated local specialty. It's utterly gorgeous, somewhere between Marsala and fino with a special, sun-kissed Sardinian je ne sais quoi underlying it all.