Casa d'Ambra Ischia Bianco 2023

Indigenous white blend from the volcanic island of Ischia — Biancolella and Forastera, two grapes you'll find almost nowhere else. Salty, citrus-driven, mineral, bone dry. The wine the locals drink with grilled fish straight from the Mediterranean.

The fruit comes from Forio and Serrara Fontana, two villages on Ischia's western and southern flanks, grown between 100 and 500 metres. The soil is volcanic, medium-textured, rich in potassium and phosphorus from the island's extinct Epomeo. It's steep, terraced, hand-worked ground.

Biancolella and Forastera go in equal measure, trained on low espaliers the way growers here have pruned for generations. D'Ambra cold-settle the must and hold fermentation at a controlled temperature, then let the wine rest before bottling. Nothing about it is rushed, and nothing needs oak.

Pour it cold, around 12 to 14 degrees, alongside grilled fish or good mozzarella. It's the wine Ischia drinks with itself, not one built for a special occasion.