Sicily

• Mt. Etna

Think you can't find good wine under $10 a bottle?  Think again.  This is a solid value in red wine.  Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, cranberries, and slight char.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, plenty of red fruits; tart cherries, cranberries and some char notes.  This needs food to show its best.  A great choice for Pizza night!  Drink over the next few years.  

This is made from the Carricante grape in Sicily.  The grapes are grown on the east side of Mt. Etna (an active volcano).  pale yellow in color, clear and bright.  The nose is interesting with pears, slight peach and a bit of a char quality.  Light to medium bodied.  Good balance.  Lively.  On the palate, more mineral drive but a bit of peach with some char.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and would work nicely with sea food.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This is 100% Moscato from the Terre Siciliane IGT in Sicily, Italy.  Pale golden in color with some straw color, clear and bright.  The nose is lively with a bit of peach and some guava and a slight salinity.  Light bodied with a nice texture.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet with peach and some salinity.  Enough acidity to work with lighter foods.  Tasty.  good finish that has a bit of lemon candy on it.  This lists 9% abv. and will work nicely with grilled shrimp or crab.  It also drinks well on its own.  Drink now.  

This is a white blend from Sicily  made from 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto grapes.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is deep and interesting.  A bit of blood orange, lots of minerality, some char and a bit of wild thyme.  Medium bodied.  Creamy texture. Crisp with good acidity.  On the palate, its all about the minerality.  Crushed rocks, char and slight salinity with a slight citrus note.  Nice finish.  This is a tasty wine that is nice on its own but better with food.  This would be a nice wine with grilled scallops.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This is a white wine from Sicily that is a blend of Grillo and Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with white floral notes, peach and slight citrus.  With air and slight smoked note comes thru.  Medium bodied.  Moderate acidity.  Nice texture.  On the palate, there is a tart citrus note with good minerality.  Some complexity.  It is nice on its own, but better with food.  It worked very well with soft cheeses and veggie appetizers.  drink over the next three to five years.  

Grillo is a grape that we are seeing more often.  It makes excellent white wines and for the most part, the price is reasonable.  Pale yellow gold in color with tinges of green, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a bit of lemon/lime citrus and some tropical fruit (Mango?) notes and just a bit of minerality.  Light to medium bodied.  Refreshing acidity.  On the palate, the lemon/lime and mango comes thru with just a touch of spice and earth.  Good finish.  This is an easy to drink white that will stand up nice to food.  It would be nice with seafood but also with a plate of cold pasta

This is 100% Nero d'Avola from Sicily.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The  nose has anise, dust, wild thyme, black cherries and sea air.  Veery nice.  Plush texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, flavors of black cherries and anise.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is a bit bigger/riper than many of the NdA's I have tried from Sicily.  Very good on its own, this will work great with meats or fowl.  Lamb would work quite well.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  Very nice value for the quality!

This appears to be a bit of a change for 2023.  Prior vintages listed no varietal (Bianco) while this lists Grillo on the front label.  It is not clear if this is 100%.  Silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with a touch of limes and a bit of minerality.  Slightly viscous texture.  Light bodied.  On the palate, this is dry with a sort of "Lime Popsicle" flavor.  Some underlying minerality.  Good finish.  Overall, it is an easy drinking, light white that is refreshing on its own and will work with lighter foods.  Drink over the next year or two.