Sicily

• Mt. Etna

While common in Italy, and a grape native to the island of Sicily, you don’t find much Grillo is other parts of the world. And that’s okay as Italy does an admirable job with the grape. It offers good minerality, nice acidity and flavors of subtle lemon-lime, white peach, kumquat, apricot, resin and honeysuckle, light mango and other tropical fruit notes. In terms of food pairing, this is the kind of wine that is ultimately versatile, and Stemmari offers a terrific value. ORIGIN: Sicily, Italy. ALCOHOL: 13%

This is a wine made from the Frappato grape in southeastern Sicily.  Donnafugata is one of the top wineries in Sicily.  13% abv.  Ruby in color with some purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, strawberries and floral notes.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is depth here but it takes some air/cellaring to bring it out.  Flavors of cherries and cranberries with a bit of salinity and slight underlying char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  It drinks well on its own, but is better with food.  This would be great with an Anchovy Pizza, but also Salmon.  It may

This is a white wine made from Catarratto Extra Lucido grapes in Sicily.  Silvery/gold in color with slight green swirls, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of salinity, some smoke, lemon rind and slight granny smith apple notes.  Full bodied.  Very well balanced.  Slightly viscous texture.  On the palate, limes, slight grapefruits, loads of minerality and slight underlying char.  Long finish.  This is very interesting as well as delicious.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  It would be classic with trout or other fish dishes.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is made from the Nero Mascalese grape grown on old vines in Sicily on Mt.

This is made from 100% Frappato grapes.  The winemaker at Planeta, Patricia Toth, has been at Planeta since 2005.  This wine is a beauty.  Ruby in color with some purple hues, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, salinity and wild Thyme.  With air, just a hint of smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Light acidity.  On the palate, cherries, minerals, slight balsamic with a slight candied finish.  There is some depth.  This drinks nicely on its own, but would be even better with food.  It would be awesome with a Vegetarian Lasagna.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

Great showing for this wine.  it is made from the Nero d'Avola grape.  Garnet in color, darker at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, sandalwood, nutmeg, and slight dark chocolate notes.  It is tight at first but opens after an hour or so.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is delivering right away.  Black cherries, sour cherries, and ash.  Complex and deep.  Delicious.  Long finish.  At age 9, this is in a great spot and should be at or close to peak.  It is great on its own, but should work well with meat or fowl.  A

A fifth generation family winery in Sicily that gets the whole family on board.  From Aurelio and Barbara Di Giovanna, Gunther Di Giovanna, Gunther Di Giovanna, and Klaus Di Giovanna, the co-owners to Melissa Di Giovanna, the Sales and Marketing Manager.  The winemaker is Gianfranco Zito.

An almost shy wine, this flagship red from Donnafugata does not announce itself with overt fruit. The wine needs some time to coax out the subtle flavors and the tight tannins at the outset tell you to wait a while before it opens up. When it does plum, muted strawberry, pomegranate, baked cherry and rose water dominate the opening. Comprised of Nero d’Avola, Petit Verdot, and Syrah, the tannins and acidity support the judicious use of oak. Aged 14 months in small French oak barrels it then spent 20 months in bottle rest. The result is a lovely wine that will work with a variety of foods.

Outside of Italy, Nero d’Avola sees little production elsewhere. But in the hands of the right winemaker, Nero can be a beautifully complex wine, as is the case here. On the nose, it is fruit-forward with notes of rhubarb, pepper, tobacco, and nutmeg, which makes this a sultry wine to indulge in. Lively tannins and supple softness blend together to a harmonious whole. An intense wine that shows a little of its age, it drinks like a beautiful layered wine.