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Tanca Nica

Ghirbi' Pet Nat 2018

Price: $49.95
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Tasting notes

This is one of the only pét-nats in existence made from Zibibbo second-growth fruit on Pantelleria — not produced every year, and labeled by hand by Nicoletta each time. The grape's natural aromatic richness is held in check by sharp volcanic minerality and saline acidity, landing closer to Champagne-bright than to the sweet passito profile most drinkers associate with this island.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Orange BlossomWhite PeachSea SaltLemon Peel
  • Style: Sparkling pét-nat white; hazy straw yellow; aromatic, saline, mineral; 11% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Zibibbo (second-growth fruit); biodynamic; volcanic, sandy, pumice soils; alberello Pantesco; Pantelleria, Sicily
  • Winemaking: Partial fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts; bottle refermentation (ancestral method); no fining, no filtration, no added sulfites; aged on fine lees in bottle
  • Serving: Serve at 42-46°F (6-8°C); tulip or white wine glass; no decant; drink young for freshness
  • Pairing: Grilled swordfish, raw oysters, fried capers, fish starters, light seafood pasta
  • Similar To: For fans of Jura pét-nats or aromatic low-ABV sparkling wines who want volcanic island terroir

Ghirbi' is a pétillant naturel from Tanca Nica, made entirely from second-growth Zibibbo — fruit produced by the lateral shoots of the same vines used for the estate's still wines Soki Soki and Terra Forte. Because second-growth yields are extremely low at roughly 2.5 hl/ha, this wine is not made every vintage. 'Ghirbì' in Pantesco dialect means something fresh and tart, which is exactly what lands in the glass. Nicoletta hand-paints the name on each bottle.

The grapes are harvested by hand from alberello Pantesco-trained bush vines planted in circular hollows called conche, dug into volcanic and sandy soils. This ancient Phoenician training system, recently granted UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status, keeps the vines low and sheltered from the relentless island winds. Partial fermentation takes place in small stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts before bottling under crown cap, where the wine finishes fermentation naturally. No fining, no filtration, no added sulfites.

Pantelleria sits 55 miles southwest of Sicily and only 35 miles from Tunisia. The island's volcanic and pumice-rich soils — locally called soki soki (pumice) and lapilli (volcanic fragments) — lend a sharp mineral and saline quality to the wines. There are no freshwater sources on the island, so all vineyards are dry-farmed. The Zibibbo grape, also known as Moscato d'Alessandria, is the dominant variety here and one of the few capable of ripening second-growth fruit fully under these conditions.

The wine pours a hazy, intense straw yellow with fine persistent bubbles. Expect aromatic Zibibbo character kept bright and taut by the island's acidity and salinity — orange blossom and white peach with a citrus peel edge, a pronounced saline-mineral backbone, and lively effervescence. Drink young for freshness or cellar a few years to let the structure develop.

Serve well chilled at 6-8°C in a tulip glass. Works cleanly with fish starters, raw seafood, and grilled swordfish — the salinity in the wine mirrors the sea. Also a strong match for fried local capers, which are among Pantelleria's other signature products.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Zibibbo (Moscato d'Alessandria)
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 11%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Pantelleria, 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.


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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

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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

Tanca Nica

Tanca Nica is the project of Francesco Ferreri, born on Pantelleria, and Nicoletta Pecorelli, originally from Sardinia. Francesco developed an interest in winemaking young, inspired by his grandfather, and left the island to study at the renowned oenological boarding school in Conegliano, Veneto. After stints working in wineries across Italy, Hungary, France, and New Zealand — including time at the biodynamic estate Seresin in Marlborough — he returned to Pantelleria around 2016 to farm his grandfather's vineyards.

The estate currently farms approximately 2 hectares split across 10 plots in 6 contradas (local named parcels) around the island, with total production of around 4,000 bottles per year. The oldest vines on the property date to 1933. All vineyards are farmed biodynamically, with no chemical additives, herbicides, or insecticides. Cover crops of green beans and wheat are planted in alternating rows to protect vines from spring winds, then cut and buried into the conca hollows to add organic matter to the soil. The alberello Pantesco training system is used throughout, keeping vines close to the ground in the island's characteristic dug-out hollows.

In the cellar, grapes are de-stemmed by hand with the aid of a net and foot-pressed. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts only. No fining, no filtration, and no sulfur additions are used across the range. For Ghirbi', the second-growth Zibibbo partially ferments in small stainless steel tanks before being bottled under crown cap to complete fermentation naturally. The wine remains on its fine lees in bottle. Nicoletta hand-paints the label on each bottle.

Wine region

Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy

Pantelleria is a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily, located 55 miles southwest of the Sicilian coast and only 35 miles from the coast of Tunisia — geographically closer to North Africa than to Italy. The island is 83 square kilometers with vineyards distributed from sea level up to 600 meters in altitude. There are no freshwater sources, so all viticulture is dry-farmed. The climate is Mediterranean but extreme: intense sun, hot growing seasons, constant Scirocco winds from North Africa, and roughly 500mm of rainfall annually. The island's Arabic name, Bint al-Riyah, translates as 'Daughter of the Wind.'

The dominant soils are volcanic and sandy, including pumice deposits locally called soki soki and volcanic fragment soils called lapilli, creating a mineral-rich, well-drained terroir with a pH ranging from 5.9 to 7. The primary grape is Zibibbo, also known as Moscato d'Alessandria, a variety introduced to the island by the Phoenicians and the foundation of the island's most famous wine, Passito di Pantelleria DOC. The traditional training method, alberello Pantesco — low bush vines planted in circular hollows called conche — was granted UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. The appellation framework for dry and sparkling wines falls under the Pantelleria DOC and Terre Siciliane IGT designations.

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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