To the moon and back

Posted by Andrea Anselmino

The smell of summer in the air, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, sunset, the inebriating scents of the sea and the right wine bottle to greet such beauty…

It was indeed a strange summer, living in fear, hesitations and very few trips. But who said that to be happy you need to go far to travel?

So, here I am, on the shore of Jesolo with an exceptional ship, heading to the Moon, ready to leave for my beloved Bergamo. But before saying my goodbyes to all of this, I want to have one last trip. Maybe my favourite one: the journey into the wine world, and to be more accurate, towards the new sparkling wine universe by Rosarubra winery.

What about you.. are you ready to join me on this journey to discover the MOON?

The origins of Pecorino

MOON derives from Pecorino grapes farmed in the Pietranico estate. This white grape variety, autochtonous of the Marche Region, has always been cultivated on the Sibillini Mountains. As time went by, this vine has spread to the south, finally reaching Pietranico estate, in the Abruzzo Region. This new land provided Pecorino grapes with excellent living conditions, managing to reach its full potential while preserving the original features. The results are full-bodied, high-quality wines.

Pecorino is a strong-charactered mineral wine, without compromises. It is a strong-charactered wine renowned for its great crispness and acidity.

According to the legend the name’s origin is linked to shepherds: they used to drink Pecorino during their lunches while practising the transhumance (the seasonal migration of sheep flocks). Other bizarre theories suppose that sheeps’ heads resemble Pecorino grapes, or that sheep love eating the sweet Pecorino grapes.

Pecorino’s revenge

After spending years in the shadows, Pecorino vine is now getting its revenge. A few years ago, Pecorino was about to disappear; it was only used in combination to create light-bodied wine blends. Finally, nowadays an increasing number of winemakers choose to produce wines with 100% Pecorino grape. They have increased the hectares for Pecorino production, achieving good results: intense, well-bodied wines with an incredible quality/ratio value.

Most of the wines produced from Pecorino grape are still wines, even though the increasing trend of present days is heading towards a sparkling production. Many producers now choose to embark on this new adventure, testing and using Pecorino for high-quality sparkling wine production. Moreover, this grape has a genuine excellent acidity, which is the key-feature for sparkling-wine-to-be.

MOON: the Rosarubra estate

Time to leave! Jump on the ship e let yourself go on this journey called MOON. It will be a journey full of crispy bubbles and traditions because Moon, like every other Rosarubra-wine, is a full-bodied wine strongly connected to the land. It all starts with the care and passion that Rosarubra puts into every step of the way, using biodynamic agriculture in the vines and respecting its land. Moon is a wine that will tell you its story and philosophy sip after sip.

MOON originates from 100% Pecorino grape variety. Only the best grapes are manually harvested around mid-September. The terroir is characterized by highly positive temperature swings from daytime warmth to nighttime coolness. This thermal excursion combined with the biodynamic farming techniques allows this wine to achieve both a great floral, aromatic, fragrance and a vibrant crispness. These are the defining features that make MOON perfect for producing fresh wines suitable for a long fermentation process in the pressure tank.

The sparkling process with long Charmat Method

Once the yeasts are added, the wine remains in the stainless steel pressure tank for 10 months. Afterwards, the wine is bottled, always in an isobaric environment.

MOON shows a brilliant straw yellow colour, very fine bubbles and a longlasting finish. On the nose, stand out scents of white fruits, aromatic herbs and a light touch of spices. On the palate, it is strong, harmonic, sapid and with an incredible freshness that makes it the perfect sparkling wine to drink during brunches.

So here we are at the end of our journey. The bottle in our hands, sand under the feet, wind blowing and the sun setting below the horizon. All I can think of is freedom with no boundaries. All I want is to run, living new enological adventures.

Rosarubra Moon sparkling brut 0,75L.