Sicilian Wine â101â

Cantina Vivera Winery. Photo courtesy of Assovini Sicilia

Of each of my penning assignments, my favourite is wine-exploration travel. I emotion learning astir the world’s varied vino regions, and the differences and similarities successful vino accumulation astir the globe. As 1 whose superior vino portion of sum is Napa—where Cabernet reigns arsenic king—the fig of planetary grape varieties ne'er ceases to amaze me, astir of which I’m simply not familiar.

A caller travel to Sicily’s Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte Hotel, serendipitously led maine to Nando Papa, caput sommelier for the edifice and its assorted eating venues, including Zagara, named for the fragrant orangish blossom that scents the beachfront property spot situated on the island’s confederate coast. Papa conducted for maine wrong his Verdura vino cellar a ‘Sicilian Wine 101’ session, sharing his thoughts and peculiar favorites. 

Verdura Resort caput sommelier Nando Papa displays his favourite Sicilian wine

Originally from Caserta, Italy, Papa began his vocation successful Monte Carlo. His professionalism and passionateness for ‘vino buono’ recovered him arsenic runner-up successful the vino industry’s mentation of the Oscars successful 2000. In 2018, helium was honored with the rubric of 'Chevalier' of the Ordre des Coteaux De Champagne successful 2018. He has worked successful Michelin starred restaurants on the Amalfi Coast, and successful Lake Como’s glorious Villa D’Este. Many years ago, helium spent astir a twelvemonth nether the tutelage of the famed Bo Barrett astatine Napa’s Chateau Montelena. In summation to his duties astatine Verdura, helium curates backstage vino collections for a fig of precocious illustration clients. Papa ended up successful Sicily a decennary ago, wherever helium loves sharing with Verdura guests, specified arsenic myself, the stories of the region’s delicious wines. 

Benanti Contrada Winery. Photo courtesy of Assovini Sicilia

Sicily is 1 of Italy’s apical vino producing regions. At 10,000 quadrate miles, it is besides the country's largest vino producing region, topping Tuscany. The land features 23 DOCs and 1 DOCG (Cerasuolo di Vittoria, located betwixt Ragusa and Syracuse, successful the southeast.) Three cardinal reddish grapes predominate here: Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Nerello Mascalese (similar to Sangiovese.) For white, it’s Catarratto, Grillo, and Inzolia, used successful the basal blend for Marsala, and Carricante, grown successful the shadiness of volatile Mt. Etna, Europe’s largest progressive volcano, and according to Papa, Sicily’s astir important and awesome vino portion that features rocky, achromatic lava ungraded of ash and sand, affluent successful minerals and nutrients specified arsenic iron, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus.  

In the past 20 years, dozens of winemakers person planted wrong Etna’s steep slopes vineyards that seemingly defying gravity, and that marque manus harvesting a must. Bright sunny days and acold nights present crisp, minerally whites and bold reds, for which an often delicate colour makes for a palate surprise. Papa’s idiosyncratic Sicilian favourite is the Mt. Etna produced Profumo Di Vulcano from winemaker Federico Graziani. Made from a tiny vineyard connected Etna’s bluish slope successful the Passopisciaro territory of Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, (Castiglione di Sicilia), the wine’s vines, mean 100 years aged and correspond the champion of Etna’s autochthonal species. Ruby successful color, an aroma of raspberries and chaotic blueberries, citrus, Mediterranean scrub, orange, tangerine, marjoram and myrtle opens to the saccharine spiced notes, sandalwood and tube tobacco. 

The backmost statement of Profumo Di Vulcano from winemaker Federico Graziani.

I connected the different hand, was drawn during my sojourn to an Etna Carricante: Primazappa Etna Bianco Superiore by Calcagno. Fresh and elegant, this Etna Bianco is balanced and refined. Aged 50% successful barriques, it offers a good and subtle chemoreceptor and a agelong and savory sensation with consecutive mineral hints, accompanied by notes of hydrocarbon and a airy toasting. 

Maugeri Winery. Photo courtesy of Assovini Sicilia

With my newfound Sicilian vino knowledge, I program to peruse the vino displays for Etna-derived varietals astatine my section vino shops. A large and memorable vino has the quality to transport, and I look guardant to revisiting Sicily, adjacent if lone via my palate.