No Compromise Orange

Fresh, citrusy and properly approachable, this is orange wine without the murk or funk. Grapefruit and citron lead the way, with ripe orchard fruit, a little floral lift and enough skin-contact grip to give it shape without turning tannic or heavy. There’s breadth through the middle, but Carricante’s natural freshness keeps everything bright, clean and seriously drinkable. A very good gateway orange, but interesting enough for people already firmly converted.

Cantine Ermes is a large Sicilian-rooted co-operative founded in 1998, now working across several Italian regions. No Compromise is its more focused, low-intervention project, bringing together a smaller group of growers and putting sustainability, minimal cellar intervention and native varieties front and centre. This Carricante gets enough skin contact to show texture and depth, while still keeping the grape’s citrusy, energetic side intact.