Last week we did our monthly international wine tasting with Maestrazgo Wine Club, this time heading to the beautiful island of Sicily, just off the southern tip of Italy. I’d been blown away a year before by an aged version of Nerello Mascalese by Calabretta, purchased at Monvinic store in Barcelona for 18 euros (for a 2001 vintage, outrageously good value) and started to experiment a little more with wines in the area. Then, during my first week of studying for the WSET Diploma, I was fortunate enough to be taught viticulture by the inspirational Anna Martens; an Australian wine consultant who has recently set up her own winery on the slopes of Mount Etna with her husband. A few months later, Noble Rot released their quarterly magazine with a huge focus around Mount Etna and I finally took the hint; do a tasting about these fantastic, unique and characterful wines!
Sicily itself has a pretty long history as far as wine is concerned. The Greeks, being ahead of their time in so many ways, were the first to recognise the potential of the region for viticulture and started to produce wine there from as early as 800BC. This continued through the rule of the Roman Empire but unfortunately, by the time Europe was being dragged from the Dark Ages, the land under vine was being eyed up by merchants as being far more suitable for the production of grain. By the 14th century, wine was starting to gain traction once more and in particular, Sicily became known for the production of strong, sweet wines such as Vernaccio and Muscatello with huge international appeal.
To fast forward a few hundred years, Sicily is now the second largest producing region of wine in the entire of Italy, only just behind Veneto and its enormous production of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco, although sadly a good 85% of this is still rustic, bulk wine usually intended for blending purposes (often illegally) throughout the rest of Europe, or turned into grape concentrate/distilled (the traditional fate for overproductive grapes!). Although the majority of the wine by volume produced in Sicily is white, it is the red varieties that are starting to attract attention around the world, from the typical, spicy and powerful Nero d’Avola to the ethereal and drastically underpriced Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio from the slopes of Mount Etna. With there being limited DOC restrictions in place, creative winemakers have been drawn from across the globe to try their hand at making their own expressions in various parts of the island, although the draw of volcanic soil, old (sometimes even pre-phylloxera) vines and an utterly unique environment mean that many of the islands top producers have settled on Mount Etna as a first choice location. The trend towards international varieties has been curbed and it’s now the indigenous grapes that are really driving the reputation of Sicily forward. It’s an exciting time to be producing, drinking and exploring wines from this region and it was great fun to do the tasting!
Below is the list of the wines that we tried over the course of the evening: I would have ideally have loved to find a decent Marsala sweet wine to finish the evening, but it just proved too difficult to source in Barcelona, so we kept it dry with 2 white and 3 red wines! The wines were organised from white to red, but also alternating between modern wine making styles and more traditional ones; Sicily has attracted a great deal of attention from winemakers and vignerons intent on making wine in a more ‘natural’ style, and so there are large stylistic differences, often within the same small areas.
Porto del Vento Catarratto 2014 – Catarratto is right on the cusp of being the most planted grape variety in the entire of Italy (35,000 HA planted), hot on the tail of Sangiovese, which gives you an idea of just how much of it is planted in this one island alone. Usually over-yielded and distilled as a result of overproduction, Porto del Vento have taken a different approach by drastically reducing the yields with the intention of showcasing the grape at a higher quality level. The wine itself has a very interesting flavour profile, with notes such as chalk, soft herbs and restrained floral notes taking precedence over the citric elements of the wine. The palate has that lovely combination of being slightly fat whilst still retaining a good level of acidity. A hard wine to pin down to a style, which I find to be true with Sicily in general! A good start.
Calabretta Carricante 2014 – I adore this producer, not least because it was the first Sicilian wine I had tried outside of cheap and cheerful Nero d’Avolas in Italian restaurants. For 4 generations, the Calabretta family has been producing top quality wines grown through organic and biodynamic viticulture around Mount Etna. Carricante, by comparison to Catarratto is a tiny production, barely checking in at a meagre 200 hectares. An ancient variety that has been revived by producers such as Calabretta, it has an incredible profile of bitter marmalade, cloves, cinnamon and lemon on the nose, but quite an austere, refreshing style of wine on the palate with a strong, stony finish. Absolutely delicious and utterly unique, fantastic stuff!
Tenuta delle Terre Etna Rosso 2014– Our first Nerello Mascalese/Nerello Cappucio blend of the evening; the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot combination of Mount Etna that are largely responsible for the new-found visibility and demand for the wines from this area. I say Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in terms of what roles they play in the blending partnership, although both varieties are truly more akin to Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo; light in colour, soft in aroma and often quite steely on the palate in youth, fading to smooth, complex aromas and flavours over time. Tenuta delle Terre are a relatively new company, with around 30 hectares of land on the Northern slopes of Mount Etna. Whilst I haven’t had a chance to try their higher level expressions, this lightly oaked wine was a real treat and very good value for 20 euros a bottle. A great introduction to the style.
Girolamo Russo ‘a Rina’ 2014 – Arguably the wine of the evening; absolutely delicious stuff. Giuseppe Russo himself is a pianist by trade and an ex-student of Italian literature, who took it upon himself to care for his familys estate back in 2005, including some 15 hectares of vineyards around the volcano. ‘a Rina’ is one of his most profilic wines, with around 10,000 bottles produced every year. For me, this is Nerello Mascalese close to its best, with a huge abundance of red fruits, spice and violets over silky tannins and a huge core of acidity. I recall from drinking older wines that the acidity is key to the longevity of these wines, as the tannins are really very much in the background. For 22 euros a bottle – sign me up for a few more!
Donnafugata Mille e una Notte 2011 – I wanted to finish the evening on a more typical note and for Sicily, that is defined by Nero d’Avola (45 euros worth in this case – maybe the most expensive Nero d’Avola on the market?!). For traditional wines lovers, this was a welcome return to the norm with big, ripe fruit aromas, spice, oak and a solid structure of both tannins and acidity. A lovely rich and ripe wine that has a long life ahead of it and is a good example of the potential of Nero d’Avola, albeit with a hefty price tag. I also think the label is stunning and I would love to bring this out for dinner in a few years time, with a rustic spaghetti dish and some cold meats; now there’s an idea!
Another wonderful evening exploring the world of wine with Maestrazgo Wine Club. This month we have three more tastings covering the wines of Galicia in North-West Spain, Vinos de Pago and an international tasting as we chase Pinot Noir around the world in an effort to understand it a little better. As it stands every spot is taken with one exception – a single spot on the 20th October for our discovery of Spains single-estate wines under the denomination of ‘Vinos de Pago.’ To see the tastings as they come up, make sure to join our group on Meet-up here, where you’ll also have access to our newsletter every month. Happy drinking!