Sold Out
Cristiano Guttarolo

Amphora Bianco 2019

Price: $34.95
Enter your email address below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
Tasting notes

Verdeca is almost never vinified as a single-variety wine, and with five days of skin contact and two months in terracotta it picks up bergamot, spice, and a chalky, saline grip that feels genuinely unlike anything from the region. Only 800 bottles were made, and the combination of the Murge plateau's limestone soils and cool sea breezes gives this orange wine a tensile freshness that defies its southern Italian latitude.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
BergamotLemon PeelSalineWhite Pepper
  • Style: Dry, light-bodied orange wine; hazy peach-amber; bergamot, spice, saline mineral finish; ~12% ABV; 800 bottles made
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Verdeca; certified organic (Ecocert); karst limestone and red iron-rich soils; Murge plateau, Gioia del Colle, ~400m elevation
  • Winemaking: Indigenous yeast fermentation; 5-day skin maceration; 2 months in terracotta amphorae; unfiltered, unfined, no added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 50-54F; no decant needed; drink now through 2025
  • Pairing: Raw oysters, grilled branzino, pasta alle vongole, aged pecorino, ricotta salata
  • Similar To: For fans of skin-contact Friulano or Gravner-style orange wines who want a leaner, more saline southern Italian expression

Cristiano Guttarolo's Amphora Bianco is 100% Verdeca, a native white grape of Puglia that rarely appears as a single-variety bottling. The grapes come from Guttarolo's organically farmed vineyards on the Murge plateau outside Gioia del Colle, sitting at roughly 400 meters above sea level on thin, red iron-rich soils over a karst limestone base. Adriatic and Ionian sea breezes cool the site through the growing season, and significant day-to-night temperature swings preserve acidity in an otherwise hot southern Italian climate.

For the 2019 vintage, Verdeca fermented on the skins for five days using only indigenous yeasts, then was transferred to terracotta amphorae for two months of aging. Malolactic fermentation begins while the wine is still in skin contact. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined with no added sulfites. Only 800 bottles were produced.

The result sits between white and orange wine in style: a hazy peach-amber color, with notes of bergamot, spice, citrus pith, and chalky minerality. Five days of skin contact builds fine tannins and texture without overwhelming the grape's natural freshness and salinity. Verdeca's characteristically high acidity keeps the wine taut and food-friendly despite the warm growing region.

The wine's salinity and fine tannins make it a natural with raw or simply prepared seafood: raw oysters, grilled branzino, or pasta alle vongole. Its texture also holds up to aged sheep's milk cheeses like pecorino or aged ricotta salata. Try it alongside fried zucchini blossoms or a fritto misto for a classic southern Italian pairing.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Light Body
Grapes:, Verdeca
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Puglia
Appellation:, Puglia IGT
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Cristiano Guttarolo

Cristiano Guttarolo started his winery in 2004 on the outskirts of Gioia del Colle with 2.2 hectares of land inherited from his grandfather. The estate has since grown to 7 hectares, planted with indigenous varieties including Primitivo, Verdeca, Negroamaro, and Susumaniello. The winery occupies the old stables of a masseria built entirely from local stone, set on the Murge plateau at roughly 400 meters above sea level. The operation is certified organic by Ecocert.

Guttarolo has farmed organically since the winery's founding, tilling the soil sparingly and allowing wild herbs and cover crops to grow in order to maintain the balance of soil fauna and flora. Vines are trained using the Guyot method. No chemical fertilizers or synthetic treatments are used in the vineyard.

Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts throughout the range. For the Amphora Bianco, skin maceration runs for five days and malolactic fermentation begins while the wine is still in contact with the skins, before the wine is pressed off to terracotta amphorae for two months of aging. Wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined with no added sulfites. The Amphora Bianco production runs to approximately 800 bottles per vintage.

Wine region

Puglia, Italy

Puglia is a long, flat peninsula forming the heel and ankle of the Italian boot, flanked by the Adriatic Sea to the northeast and the Ionian Sea to the south. The Gioia del Colle area breaks from the regional norm by sitting atop the Murge plateau at around 360 meters above sea level. The Murge is a karst limestone formation with thin, red iron-rich topsoils over a massive porous limestone bedrock. Daytime temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in summer, but the elevation generates significant diurnal swings, and breezes from both flanking seas cool the vineyards throughout the growing season. These conditions allow grapes to ripen fully while retaining the natural acidity that lower-altitude Puglian sites cannot.

Gioia del Colle DOC was established in 1987 and is best known for Primitivo, the grape genetically identical to California Zinfandel. White production in the zone is minor; Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano are among the permitted white varieties, though wines made from them outside the specific DOC categories are typically bottled under Puglia IGT. The region's ancient winemaking history traces back to Peucetian settlements in the area around Monte Sannace, and the karst soils that define the plateau give wines from this appellation a mineral precision uncommon for southern Italy.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

This collection features our best selling natural wine from all around the world. It's the best place to start you natural wine journey! Browse one of the largest selections of natural wine available online in the United States.

Primal Wine Natural Wine Club is the best way to discover natural wine. Let us do the heavy-lifting, sit back, and relax. We will send you an ever-changing selection of natural wine made by top producers from around the world.

Our customers love Primal

I'm just copying and pasting from the hundreds messages we received, no pseudo reviews!
Erin C.

We love our membership so far and can't wait until our next shipment.

Jennifer B.

A note to say that we are loving the tasting notes sheet you’re sending!

James S.

I'm really happy to find Primal – your selections are terrific. 

Samuel M.

Love your company, always a great wine selection. 

Chelsea V.

I love what you guys do!

What Is | Primal Wine

What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.
What Is Biodynamic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is Biodynamics?

Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.
What Is Organic Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is organic wine?

Organic wine is made with grapes farmed organically. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming.
What Is Vegan Wine Info Cards | Primal Wine

What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine made without using animal products during the fining phase of the clarification process.