S icily is not new to the world of wine . The Phoenicians, Ancient Greeks and Romans all made wine there, and archaeological studies indicate that production may date back 6,000 years.
Sicily is big, the largest wine region of Italy . It has the perfect climate for growing grapes, with lots of sunshine and refreshing breezes coming in from the sea. The terrain is varied, with lots of mountains providing some surprisingly cool sub-regions.
The Sicilians also have their own set of local exclusive grape varieties. Depending on the ambition of the producer, some can produce good inexpensive everyday wines, others some very high-quality red and white wines.
I have featured some of the red wines here before. But on my last two trips to Sicily it was the white wines that impressed. This week I feature four, all made from local grapes including grillo, carricante and/or catarratto.
Grillo, one of the grapes used to produce Marsala, has come back into fashion recently, with a number of producers making excellent wines.
Catarratto once made up more than 60 per cent of all plantings in Sicily. Popular because it produced high yields, it was also used to make Marsala and vermouth.
Carricante is the star turn; grown at high altitude on the slopes of Mount Etna, it produces wonderful age-worthy complex white wines.
Plump ripe, textured tropical fruits, with good balancing acidity and a soft rounded finish.
Light and zesty with subtle peaches and pears and a dry mineral finish. A good aperitif or try it with grilled plaice.
TheAllotment.ie; Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4; Blackrock Cellar, Co Dublin; Bradleys, Cork; Kehoe’s Growcery , Gorey, Co Wexford; Lennox Street Grocer , Dublin 8; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6; LeCaveau.ie; L’Atitude 51, Cork, Manning’s Emporium, Ballylickey, Co Cork; Matson’s, Cork; Neighbourhood Wines; 64 Wine, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Sweeneys, Dublin 3; World Wide Wines, Waterford
Mouth-watering ripe melon and stone fruit with a lovely herbal touch. Perfect on its own or with salmon.
A stylish, elegant, complex wine with pure pear fruits, subtle grilled nuts and a cleansing mineral acidity. This would go nicely with most white fish, salmon, or oysters.
Green Man Wines, Dublin 6; MacCurtain, Cork; 64 Wine, Glasthule, Co Dublin; Blackrock Cellar, Co Dublin; Pinto Wines, Dublin 9; Eleven Deli, Greystones, Co Wicklow