Surprisingly Captivating Wine

Wine clichés are persistent. New World reds are rich and jammy. Mosel Rieslings are razor-sharp with acidity. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is grassy and green. There may be a grain of truth to some of these assumptions, but never enough to form a dogma. The same goes for Southern European wines, often dismissed as flabby whites and overripe reds. Yet Sicily, a place where summer temperatures regularly top 40°C, defies these stereotypes. We visited several producers and were more than pleasantly surprised.

IDDA

In 2017, the renowned Gaja family from Piedmont launched a joint venture on Mount Etna with young winemaker Alberto Graci. They called it IDDA, which means “she” in Sicilian dialect. It is a tribute to the volcano itself, affectionately regarded as a feminine force by locals. Standing with estate manager Antonio La Fata near the brand new winery in Belpasso, which was set to officially open the following week, we looked out across a semi-circle of vineyards planted with Carricante, an indigenous white grape variety, at an elevation of about 650 meters. Behind us towered majestic Mount Etna. A few kilometers away near Biancavilla grows the red variety Nerello Mascalese. On the volcano’s western flank near Bronte, it is again Carricante.

“Though we are far south, the climate here oscillates between Mediterranean and mountainous,” Antonio explains. “Acidity levels are lower, but you wouldn’t know it from the wines. Their pH values are still quite low.”

The portfolio is streamlined: just two wines, IDDA Bianco and IDDA Rosso. The 2022 white is lean with a hint of green freshness, thanks in part to a rainy spring. The 2023 vintage, from a hot and dry summer, offers salty fruit with a slightly phenolic backdrop. A touch higher in alcohol, it shows more weight on the palate but remains refined. The reds from 2021 and 2022 both exhibit a vibrant grip that recalls Pinot Noir. The 2022 is fruitier and fuller. The 2021, despite its silkiness, reveals more edge. All whites are vinified in stainless steel, while the reds age in tonneaux barrels. Everything here speaks of quality over quantity.

Giorgio Mannino

A few kilometers southeast of Etna, Giorgio Mannino of Tenuta Mannino in Viagrande sees the region on the rise. His is a mixed family-run estate producing citrus, olives, avocados, and wine. Annual output is modest at 25,000 bottles, but numbers are climbing steadily.

“We have recently replanted Nerello Mascalese, Carricante, and Catarratto because we are convinced that Etna gives us a real market edge,” says Giorgio, who holds degrees in business and marketing. Indeed, the sparkling wine Caterina di Plachi, made from Nerello Mascalese and aged on the lees for 50 months, offers a delicate and unexpected playfulness.

The 2023 Etna Bianco follows suit. It is salty, spicy, and fresh. “Etna is white!” Giorgio proclaims, before pouring his pride and joy: Prefillossera, made from the oldest vineyard in the region, Vasadonna. Only the best grapes go into this wine. The rest make up the Rosso, which is aged two years in tonneaux. Body, grip, subtle fruit, and length are all present. “My father Giuseppe was president of the Consorzio when things really took off. In just two decades, we have transformed our entire approach.”

Palmeri

A similar shift in mindset, away from bulk and toward quality, is evident two hours further south in Avola. Here, the Swiss Breitschmid-Heiniger family established Tenuta Palmeri. Already active in dental hygiene and viticulture in Switzerland and Spain, they sensed an opportunity for change when they arrived in Sicily.

Nero d’Avola, long known as a bland and bloated red plagued by overproduction, has undergone a renaissance. “Nowadays, producers want to fuse the appeal of international grapes like Cabernet, Merlot, or Syrah with the raw power of Nero d’Avola,” says Sebastian Rao, who hosts tastings and manages guest visits. “We have limestone soils with sandy inclusions. That gives us a lot of potential.”

Only two producers remain in Avola itself, and just 20 across the wider region up to Noto. Those who stayed have embraced quality. “It became clear that quality is our only way forward, especially with so many direct customers.”

The wines make that point clearly. The 2023 Verde Grillo is fresh, floral, and bone-dry. The Moscato from the same vintage is crystal clear, far removed from cloying fruitiness. All white grapes were harvested around July 20, which shows smart timing and savvy vineyard management.

Di Giovanna

We continued west into Sicily’s rugged interior between Agrigento and Palermo. The roads here wind through narrow valleys and up steep mountains. Describing them as adventurous would be an understatement. After a slow crawl behind a herd of cows, we reached Di Giovanna near Sambuca. The estate is run by brothers Klaus and Gunther, whose German mother Barbara brought a different perspective to the venture. Their 65 hectares stretch between 450 and 850 meters in elevation.

“In summer, we sometimes go six months without a drop of rain,” Gunther explains. “That is why we rely on a nearby lake to irrigate young vines.” They are currently expanding their plantings, both international and local varieties like Grillo and Nero d’Avola.

One surprise was Camurrìa, an orange wine made from 100 percent Grillo. Harvested at night in 32°C heat and fermented on the skins for two weeks, it is remarkably approachable and easy-drinking. The winery and tasting room were recently rebuilt, and the Di Giovannas have embraced organic farming from the outset. Oak selection is meticulous. They use Allier for whites and Nevers for reds. Sometimes, as with the Vurria Nerello Mascalese, they forgo barrels entirely. The result is a fresh red wine with light phenolics, good structure, and a long finish at a very fair price.

The Cooking Class with Gilda Failla

And since we are in Italy, it is only natural to ask what food would best accompany these wines. We found the answer in a cooking class.

Enter Gilda Failla in Syracuse. She is a Cesarina, part of a nationwide network of women who welcome guests into their homes to cook. First stop was the local market, where we bought artichokes, peas, herbs, and fresh sardines and swordfish fillets, cut straight from the whole fish.
Back in Gilda’s rustic home kitchen, there were no gadgets or frills. The work began with semolina flour kneaded with water and olive oil, then left to rest. Peas were shelled, artichokes quartered and doused in lemon juice. Ricotta was whipped with lemon zest and sugar, then spooned into a piping bag. Preparations were well underway.

Diced eggplant was sautéed with olive oil, water, salt, and basil. Swordfish cubes, halved cherry tomatoes, and salted capers were added and left to simmer gently. And the sardines? A showstopper. They were stuffed with breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, and vinegar-soaked raisins, then rolled, skewered, and baked with olive oil. This dish, called Sarde a beccafico, is heavenly with a barrel-aged Grillo.

Gilda has been teaching for over 20 years. Though trained as a chef, she keeps things simple. In Italy, great ingredients always trump fancy techniques. Her kitchen invites imitation. We left inspired, especially by her cavatelli, a shell-shaped pasta that is surprisingly easy to make. But that is a story for another day.

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Photo Credit: Titelbild Adobe Stock/Alexander Reitter – Photomontage: Matthias F. Mangold