Wine Momento Mori, “Give Up The Ghost”, 2019

Momento Mori, “Give Up The Ghost” is a natural dry white wine, the production technology of which includes long-term contact of the must with the skin of the grapes, so it can be classified as so-called “orange” wines. Winemaker Dane Jones loves wines from Greco di Tufo and was therefore particularly thrilled to find a small area that he thought would be suitable for planting Greco in Australia. It should be noted that this site has become the only representative of the original Italian grape variety in Australia. Greco di Tufo is often referred to as a red wine in white appearance, its skin contains a lot of catechins, which gives it a rich, almost chestnut must color. The vineyard is located in Heathcote, a prestigious wine-growing region of Central Victoria, an hour and a half from the state capital of Melbourne. The vineyards lie in a narrow strip along the sides of the Mount Camel hills, where the elevation plays a large role in shaping the climate, as does the cool winds blowing from the south. Summers at Heathcote are comparatively mild, which results in a longer growing season. Ripening of grapes occurs slowly and evenly, which ensures optimal phenolic development – one of the reasons why Heathcote produces such high quality wines. The second reason is the ancient Cambrian soil, which is rich in calcium and can hold water well. On such soils, the vines produce small and very juicy berries, from which rich, deep and concentrated wines are obtained. Harvested exclusively by hand. In production, only grape juice obtained by gravity is used. In the production of wine, the use of artificial additives, including sulfur dioxide, only wild yeast is not allowed. The must comes into contact with the skin of the grapes for about 6 months, resulting in a wine with restrained but expressive fruit tones, subtle tannins and high acidity. Wine is bottled without pasting or filtration. A distinctive feature of “Give Up The Ghost” is exceptional naturalness and purity to the last drop.

“For me, this is a special wine. Needless to say, this cuve was treated with due respect and attention. The grapes were not pressed, free juice was” drained “from it. A very expensive way of making wine, but I think the results speak for themselves. Unfortunately, this also means there was not much fault … “ – Dane Jones.