Italy has long been THE wine peninsula and known as one of the world’s great wine producers. Recently, the island of Sicily has emerged from the mainland’s shadow with high quality wines from indigenous grapes. Producers like Corvo and Tasca d’Almerita have begun reacquainting themselves (and us) with the variety and quality of island wine.
Here I offer an opportunity for you to discover some of the wide range of unique representations, both white and red. First, the white grapes, starting with grillo. A major component of Marsala, its wines feature delicate citrus, apple, tropical fruit, and refreshing acidity.
Tasca d’Almerita has been instrumental in bringing Sicilian wine to the forefront of the world’s oenological stage. With five estates across mainland Sicily and the neighboring islands, the family offers a glimpse into the possibilities and diversity of Sicilan wine. A leader in sustainable winegrowing, the Tasca d’Almerita estates are renowned for their commitment to the SOStain methodology.
In a collaboration with the Whitaker Foundation, owners of the small island on Mozia off the west coast of Sicily, the Tasca family has restored a historic grillo vineyard, sharing the island with a museum and archeological dig of a Carthaginian-Phoenecian settlement dating back to 800 BCE. The unfiltered 2019 “Mozia” Sicilia DOC ($22), reflects freshness from fermentation in stainless steel and richness from aging on the lees. The “Sicilia DOC” designation, by the way, is a good indicator of quality. DOC roughly translates to “controlled denomination of origin” and guarantees level of quality and authenticity.
Featuring organically grown grapes from Di Giovana family’s estate vineyards, the vegan friendly 2020 “Vurria” Sicilia DOC ($20) benefits from similar treatment in stainless and with the lees, enhancing its notes of citrus, tropical fruit, and savory freshness.
From the widely distributed Corvo winery, dating to 1824 and long a go-to for affordable Italian wine, comes two good examples. Under the Irmàna label is a hand-harvested wine (2019, $13) that offers bright, crisp citrus, tropical and stone fruit with herbal qualities and a soft texture. The 2020 Corvo Grillo ($10) is ideal for everyday sipping.
Malvasia is a grape most often vinified sweet but Tenuta Capofaro, founded by the Tasca family on the island of Salina, presents the delightfully dry 2019 “Didyme” Salina IGT ($26), aged four months on the lees in stainless steel nicely revealing the grape’s signature floral peach and apricot, finishing with hints of salinity. “Salina IGT” indicates a wine typical of the Aeolian Islands, the volcanic archipelago just off Sicily’s northeast coast. IGT indicates a wine typical of the geography.
Carricante, having grown around Mount Etna (Europe’s tallest active volcano) since ancient times, is possibly the most interesting of Sicily’s white grapes. It is notable for brisk citrus, floral and herbaceous characteristics. From the Tasca family’s Tenuta Tascante, on the northern side of Mount Etna, the 2019 “Buonora” Etna Bianco DOC ($21) is fermented and aged in stainless steel. It is quite refreshing but with savory herbal notes and a distinctive salty element. “Etna Bianco DOC” indicates a wine of quality from the territory near the Mount Etna volcano.
On to the reds, where nero d’Avola is the island’s most recognizable and widely planted red grape. It is often made fresh, juicy, and red-fruited, with red berries and plum. Mandrarossa “Cartagho” Sicilia DOC (2017, $26) from Cantine Settisoli is a selection of grapes from top vineyards vinified in a more complex style. It delivers darker fruits, notable tobacco, and fine tannins.
I also find nerello mascalese, the red variety arguably most suited to the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, enticing, especially for its fresh, cherry and strawberry fruit, and herbaceous, minerally nuances. Imagine the acidity of sangiovese and the fruit of pinot noir. The 2017 Tenuta Tascante “Ghiaia Nera Rosso” Etna DOC ($21) is firm but with elegant tannins and a whiff of spice
Frappato is a new grape to me. It tends to be exuberantly fruity, floral and light, an ideal casual sipping wine or to drink with charcuterie. It is sometimes blended with nero d’Avola to deepen its character. A good example comes from Irmàna, the hand-harvested portfolio of the large Corvo Winery (2019 $13). If you like Beaujolais, you should like this.
The island of Sardinia (or Sardegna in Italian) also deserves attention. About 280 miles west of Rome across the Tyrrhenean Sea, it is home to a wide variety of native grapes, though vermentino is the signature white grape and cannonau, the local name for grenache, is the key red grape. Carignano also is significant, though not represented here.
Vermentino has been grown for centuries in Sardinia, most notably in the Gallura district. Fine examples also are found in the northwestern provinces of Italy, like Tuscany. Typically, there are two styles: soft but refreshing acidity or fairly full-bodied; some are even slightly spritzy. The taste shows a hint of the salty sea – saline minerality – and notes of lemon, and white flowers.
Established in the Surrau Valley of Gallura in 2004 by a family that has practiced viticulture in the area for generations, Vigne Surrau is an exemplary producer of Vermentino di Gallura. Their 2020 Limizzani ($16), referring to a mystical site in the region that ancient Mediterranean civilizations inhabited thousands of years ago, is a delightful blend of fruit from estate vineyards that was fermented and aged in stainless steel and shows some weight and chalky hints. The 2019 Sciala ($27), an Arabic word that refers to a generous and abundant harvest, is a careful selection of the estate’s finest fruit. And that describes the wine’s passion fruit and sherry-like qualities. This wine sees brief skin and must contact and is fermented and aged in stainless steel with lees contact.
In addition to Vermentino, Surrau produces a distinctive selection of estate red wines from the cannonau grape, as well as several other indigenous red varieties. Cannonau likely originated in Sardinia and is even more widely planted than vermentino. Its wine generally has a low acidity level and high alcohol content. The flavors can range from fruity to rich, with spicy earthiness and are well structured. The 2019 Naracu ($16), referring to ancient stone structures built in a cone shape (also known as nuraghe) on the island, is fermented and aged in stainless steel to create an open and fresh expression. The 2019 Surrau Rosso ($27), carrying the Isola dei Nuraghi designation, was the first wine produced at Vigne Surrau from the first vineyards planted in the Surrau Valley. A blend of 60 percent carignano, 30 percent cannonau and 10 percent muristellu (bovale sardo), this wine (aged for nine months in a mixture of large casks, stainless steel tanks and cement vats) is more structured and spicier.
NOTE: Featured image courtesy of Tenuta Whitaker