"It is hard to describe the stimulation and life found in a glass of Skerk wine — they are simultaneously clean, and unexpected; at once pretty and yet carrying notes of meat; the palate persists through delicate frame full of sapidity and Italian ‘salato'. These are wines designed to showcase tradition and elegance both.”
ELAINE CHUKAN BROWN
Sandi Skerk's property is only 500m from the border of Slovenia in the Carso appellation of Friuli in the far North Eastern corner of Italy. Tasted out of context it is difficult to know what to make of the wines. However, upon meeting Sandi, seeing his vineyards, his cellar, and listening to his winemaking philosophy, it becomes entirely clear how special the wines are and what Sandi is trying to achieve by making them.
Like many in the Carso, their production is very small, totally natural and involves skin contact with indigenous white varieties. Friuli is a veritable feast of natural, artisan wine production where orange wines are the norm and wild yeasts used without question.
Sandi produces some of the regions best; delicious textural wines with great personality, plenty of depth and friendly richness which makes them more approachable than some of the wines of his contemporaries.
Skerk remains organically certified, as he has been for nearly 15 years, but still refuses to mention it on the bottle due to his dissatisfaction with the weak standards allowed by the certifying bodies. His entire process is natural, not because it is the trendy thing to do, but because it does not make sense to Sandi to make wine any other way.
When asked about the style of winemaking that seems to be the trend in the Carso DOC, ie. long skin contact for the whites, Sandi talks about the great respect he has for his grandfather, who also made wine on the family's property, and about wanting to follow his technique.
Making wine before it was common to use SO2 as a preservative, Sandi's grandfather used the technique of extended skin contact for his white wines. The tannins in the skins protect the wines from oxidation, allowing Sandi to use very little SO2 in his winemaking.
Making wine naturally requires great care in the vineyards and the winery. Sandi is one of the great winemakers making natural wine well; his wines show impressive clarity, balance, and depth on the palate.
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