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Giovanni Mesina

Ciliegiozzo Frizzante 2018

Price: $39.95
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Tasting notes

The Ciliegiozzo is one of the more electric petnats we carry: cranberry, rosehip, and fresh cherry pop on a tight, lively bead, with a pinch of pink peppercorn spice at the finish. It is completely dry, genuinely light-bodied, and disappears from the glass faster than almost anything else in the cellar.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
CranberryCherryWild StrawberryWhite Pepper
  • Style: Sparkling rosato petnat; pale cherry-red; cranberry, fresh cherry, pink peppercorn; no sulfur added
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Ciliegiolo; organic; marl and limestone soils; Pianello, northeast of Perugia, ~300m elevation
  • Winemaking: Direct press, no skin contact; partial primary fermentation in open-top resin tank; aged in fiberglass; bottled Feb with frozen must for natural in-bottle re-fermentation; unfiltered, unfined, no added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 42-46F; no decant needed; finish the bottle
  • Pairing: Cured salumi, fresh ricotta, fried zucchini blossoms, simple tomato pasta, aperitivo
  • Similar To: For fans of light, dry petnats who want something more mineral and savory than a Lambrusco

Giovanni Battista Mesina farms just under 3 hectares on the wind-swept hills of Pianello, northeast of Perugia, at roughly 300 meters elevation. The soils are a mix of marl and limestone, remnants of an ancient salt lake. Ciliegiolo, Sangiovese, Vernaccia Rossa, and Vermentino share the land with olive trees and a flock of over 1,000 sheep. The farm is run organically, with no synthetic inputs in the vineyard.

Ciliegiozzo is made from 100% Ciliegiolo harvested by hand and direct-pressed with no skin contact. The juice undergoes partial primary fermentation in an open-top resin tank, then moves to fiberglass for aging through winter. In February, the wine is bottled with frozen must from the same harvest, triggering a natural secondary fermentation in the bottle. No sulfites added, unfiltered, unfined.

Ciliegiolo is a central Italian red variety whose name translates literally to 'little cherry.' In Umbria, it produces lighter, more tensile wines than in Tuscany, with pronounced red fruit character and lively acidity. As a sparkling rosato, the Ciliegiozzo shows that character at its most vivid: bright, low-tannin, and driven by fresh fruit and natural effervescence. Only around 55 cases were produced in 2018.

Serve well-chilled alongside cured salumi, fresh ricotta on grilled bread, or fried zucchini blossoms. The high acidity and low tannin also make it a natural match for simple pasta dishes with tomato or olive oil. Works equally well as an aperitivo on its own.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Ciliegiolo
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, N/A
Country:, Italy
Region:, Umbria
Appellation:, Umbria 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

Giovanni Mesina

Giovanni Battista Mesina was born in Sardinia in the Barbagia mountain region and moved with his family to Umbria as a child. The Mesina family has been raising sheep for three generations, and today the operation at Pianello includes over 1,000 sheep producing milk, cheese, and wool, as well as ancient olive trees protected by UNESCO. Giovanni describes himself as 'the shepherd who makes wine,' which is an accurate description of his priorities.

The farm sits on the rolling hills of Pianello, northeast of Perugia, at approximately 300 meters elevation. The roughly 3 hectares under vine are planted with Ciliegiolo, Sangiovese, Vernaccia Rossa, Montepulciano, and Vermentino, the last a nod to Giovanni's Sardinian heritage. Soils are organic, composed of marl from an ancient salt lake and limestone. The vines are farmed without synthetic inputs.

Giovanni bottled his first vintage in 2017, initially fermenting wines in his family's old animal stall. His approach in the cellar is minimalist: native yeast fermentations, open-top resin tanks or fiberglass vessels, no fining, no filtration, and no sulfur additions across the range. The Ciliegiozzo is made by direct-pressing Ciliegiolo, partial fermentation in tank, winter aging in fiberglass, and a natural in-bottle re-fermentation triggered by the addition of frozen must from the same harvest.

Wine region

Umbria, Italy

Umbria is a landlocked region in central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, Le Marche to the east, and Lazio to the south. The terrain is 70% hills and 30% mountains, with elevations across the major vineyard areas ranging from 200 to 500 meters above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean with continental influences: hot, dry summers and cold winters, with significant diurnal temperature variation that preserves acidity in the grapes. The region has no coastline, which moderates extremes and contributes to a slow, even ripening season.

Umbria holds two DOCGs: Torgiano Rosso Riserva, based on Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero, and Montefalco Sagrantino, made from the Sagrantino grape. The region also encompasses 13 DOC zones and 6 IGT areas. Soils vary from clay and sand in the valley floors to limestone and marl on the hillsides. Key red grapes include Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Ciliegiolo; white grapes include Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano. Ciliegiolo is grown primarily in the southern part of the region around Narni and Amelia, though it also appears in the hills around Perugia where Giovanni Mesina farms.

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.

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