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Elios

Bianco Macerato Orange 2018

Price: $32.95
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Tasting notes

Twenty days of skin contact on three complementary Sicilian varieties produces an orange wine with real tannic presence and aromatic lift: ripe apricot and orange blossom on the nose, a saline mineral thread running through the palate, and a slightly oxidative, savory finish. The Zibibbo contributes a floral, grapey perfume that most orange wines lack, keeping the wine bright even as the maceration adds grip.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
ApricotOrange BlossomStone FruitSaline Mineral
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied orange wine; calcareous clay soils; apricot, orange peel, stone fruit; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Equal parts Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo; certified organic; calcareous clay soils; 300m elevation; Alcamo, Camporeale, Monreale, northwest Sicily
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel; 20-day skin maceration; malolactic fermentation; 7 months sur lie; bottled unfined and unfiltered; 30 mg/L total SO2
  • Serving: Serve at 57-61F (14C); decant or open 20-30 min before serving; shake lightly if you prefer a cloudier pour
  • Pairing: Grilled swordfish, salt cod, oven-baked fish with capers, aged pecorino, caponata, boiled artichokes with anchovy butter
  • Similar To: For fans of skin-contact whites who want aromatic lift and saline minerality over heavy oxidation

Elios Bianco Macerato is an equal-parts blend of Grillo, Catarratto, and Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) sourced from organic vineyards across three communes in northwest Sicily: Alcamo and Monreale in the province of Trapani-Palermo border, and Camporeale. Vines are 14 to 17 years old, planted in calcareous clay soils at approximately 300 meters above sea level. Grillo and Zibibbo are hand-harvested in late August; Catarratto follows in the second week of September, once it reaches full phenolic maturity.

Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with the full blend macerating on skins for 20 days. Malolactic fermentation is carried out. The wine then rests on its fine lees for 7 months in steel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Total sulfites are capped at 30 mg/L. Each variety contributes a distinct role: Catarratto drives acidity and structure, Grillo adds body, and Zibibbo contributes the floral aromatics.

The result is a dry, medium-bodied orange wine with a light tannic grip from the extended skin contact. The palate shows ripe apricot, orange peel, and stone fruit, balanced by a fresh, saline-mineral finish. The wine is bottled with a touch of natural sediment; decanting before serving is recommended.

The wine is classified Terre Siciliane IGT, the island-wide designation that gave Elios the flexibility to blend across multiple communes and bypass the varietal restrictions of the Alcamo or Monreale DOCs.

The light tannin and saline finish make this a strong match for oven-baked fish with capers, grilled swordfish, or salt-cod preparations. It also holds up well alongside hard cheeses like aged pecorino or a Sicilian caponata. Boiled artichokes with anchovy butter are a classic pairing for this style.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Sicily
Appellation:, Terre Siciliane 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

Elios

Elios was founded in 2015 by Guido Grillo and Nicola Adamo, two friends who grew up in Alcamo in the province of Trapani. Guido trained as an oenologist, graduating in 2010 and working as a winemaking consultant before returning to the family farm. Nicola holds a degree in computer engineering and brought operational and technical management to the project. Both came from farming families whose grapes and olives had been sold at low prices to large industrial cooperatives. In 2015, they took over their families' agricultural holdings and began producing, bottling, and selling the wine, oil, and honey themselves.

The Elios estate covers approximately 8 hectares of organically farmed vineyards spread across Alcamo, Camporeale, and Monreale in northwest Sicily. The farm also includes olive groves and a native Sicilian bee apiary. All four of their grape varieties, Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo, and Nero d'Avola, are indigenous to Sicily. The vineyards are farmed without synthetic chemicals or additives, and the wines are made under the Modus Bibendi label.

Winemaking at Elios is low-intervention throughout. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. No selected yeasts, fining agents, or chemical additives are used in the cellar. All wines are bottled with minimal added sulfites, with the Bianco Macerato carrying a maximum of 30 mg/L total SO2. The Bianco Macerato undergoes 20 days of skin maceration in stainless steel, followed by malolactic fermentation and 7 months aging on the fine lees in steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

Wine region

Sicily, Italy

Northwest Sicily sits at the border of the provinces of Trapani and Palermo, in the historical Val di Mazara wine zone. The area includes the DOC appellations of Alcamo, Monreale, and Marsala, as well as a large share of Terre Siciliane IGT production. The climate is warm Mediterranean with dry summers, mild winters, and rainfall concentrated between 500 and 600 mm per year. Coastal winds from both the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean seas moderate temperatures during the growing season and reduce disease pressure, making organic farming practical. Vineyards in Alcamo, Camporeale, and Monreale sit at elevations ranging from roughly 300 to 500 meters above sea level, where altitude preserves acidity and slows ripening.

The dominant soils across Alcamo and Camporeale are calcareous clay with marine deposits, high in calcium carbonate, which contributes to water retention during dry summers and lends a mineral character to wines. Catarratto is the most widely planted variety in this part of Sicily, accounting for roughly one-third of all Sicilian vineyard surface, concentrated in the provinces of Trapani and Palermo. Grillo is a natural cross of Catarratto and Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria), developed in the late 19th century and historically the backbone of Marsala production. Zibibbo, known scientifically as Muscat of Alexandria, adds intense floral and aromatic character and has been cultivated in western Sicily since Phoenician times. The Terre Siciliane IGT designation, established in 2011, covers the entire island and gives producers the flexibility to blend across communes and experiment with grape varieties and winemaking techniques outside the stricter DOC rules.

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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