On 10th June 2024, there was a trade and press event showcasing around 150 wines from 25 producers from the Wines of Sicilia DOC. It was an excellent opportunity to explore Sicilian wine styles, taste new releases and learn about the different regions of Sicily.
While Sicily boasts approximately 70 native grape varieties, Grillo (white) and Nero d’Avola (red) dominated the tasting tables. However, I also discovered a few different wines. I also particularly focussed on those already available in the UK, ensuring the wines I mention are available for purchase.
Here are what I thought were the standout wines from the tasting. I provide information on the UK importers. You will need to search Google for current retailers. Some wines are only available on-trade (hospitality venues).
Whites and a Rosé:
- Alessandro do Camporeale Kaid Sauvignon 2022: A Sauvignon Blanc, unusual for Sicily, this organic wine is halfway between New Zealand and French styles. It has lime, passion fruit, grapefruit, and elderflower aromas, with a taste of dry apple, peach and citrus with minerality. With an ABV of 12.5% and an RRP of £20.38, it is distributed by Alivini Company.
- Baglio Diar Lia Nero d’Avola Rosé 2023: Baglio Diar’s wines from Marsala captivated me with their organic offerings and charming ‘Wine Art’ bottle labels. These labels feature women with fruit and flowers in their hair, symbolising the flavours of the wine. While all the wines were delightful, the Lia Nero d’Avola Rosé 2023, with its 12% ABV, truly stood out. This organic rosé is notable for its darker colour and intense lychee and tropical aromas with a pomegranate taste. With an ABV of 12% and an RRP of £13, it is imported by Vinceremos Wines & Spirits.
- Mandrarossa Bertolino Soprano 2022: A different take on Grillo, this wine has floral, citrus and grassy notes. It is priced at £18 and distributed by Liberty Wines.
- Caruso & Minini Lillo 2023: An organic wine from the Marsala region with floral aromatics and an intense fruity taste. It has an ABV of 12.5% and an RRP of £16, distributed by Bibendum. The bottle graphics for Caruso & Minini are created by a social cooperative that employs people with mental disabilities.
- Caruso & Minini Tacos 2020: This 100% Grillo wine is an outstanding and unique sweet, desert wine with amazing apricot, honey and almond notes. It has an ABV of 13% and an RRP of £22.
- Planeta Alastro 2023: Named after a wild flower which grows around their winery. Interesting blend of 85% Grecanico and 15% Sauvignon Blanc providing flower, honey and herbal nose. Fresh, peach taste with very deep flavour. ABV 12.%, RRP £16.96, distributed by Enotria & Coe.
- Curatolo Arini Gagliardetta 2022: This Zibibbo wine (Muscat of Alexandria – one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines in existence) is dry with herbaceous, apricot and almond notes. It has an ABV of 12.5% and an RRP of £21, distributed by Liberty Wines.
- Assuli Dardinello 2023: An organic Zibibbo wine with intense peach and citrus flavours and minerality. With an ABV of 12.5% and an RRP of £20, it is imported by Carson & Carnevale Wines.
Nero d’Avola:
- Tasca Regaleali 2022: This wine offers aromas of blackberry, black cherry and chocolate with a lighter body. It is priced at £18 and distributed by Berkmann Wine Cellars.
- Ferreri Brasi 2016: A more robust, oaked version with red fruit notes, this wine has an ABV of 14.5% and is imported by Villeneuve Wine.
- Zisola Nero d’Avola 2020: This wine has plum, fruit, orange and floral aromas with taste of dark fruit, earthiness and sage. It has an ABV of 13% and an RRP of £21.99, imported by Maisons Marques et Domaines.
- Cortese Senia Nero d’Avola 2021: Fermented on skins in open-top barriques using a traditional technique known as follatura, this organic wine has a savoury, balsamic edge to the brambly black fruit aromas, with plum, blackberry, and cherry fruit taste. It has an RRP of £22.99 and is imported by North South Wines. Outstanding.
- Mandrarossa Cartagho 2020: This wine stood out for me as the most outstanding of the tasting. It has intense aromas of wild blackberries and sour cherry, with a full-bodied taste of red fruits and dates and gentle tannins. Priced at £20 and imported by Liberty Wines, it was so good I had to go back for a second taste at the end of the tasting.
Other Reds:
- Alessandro do Camporeale Kaid Syrah 2020: An organic Syrah with strong aromatics and red fruit taste, oaky, chocolate and coffee notes, this wine can easily challenge Australian Shiraz. It has an ABV of 14% and an RRP of £24.73, distributed by Alivini Company.
- Tasca Guarnaccio 2021: This 100% Perricone wine, unrelated to Garnacha despite the name, has floral and fruity aromas, mainly blackberry, with a medium to full body, firm tannins and a good finish. It has an ABV of 13% and an RRP of £20, distributed by Berkmann Wine Cellars.
An interesting insight. Assuli also offered two great Grillos: one sweeter, harvested later, and the other with a more complex ‘on the lees’ flavour. Similarly, their red Nero d’Avola came in two varieties, with one being sweeter. The sweeter versions cater to the on-trade (hospitality) sector, which has seen an increasing demand for such wines. I was told this trend is not just a phenomenon in the UK but is also emerging across Europe.
This tasting event highlighted the diversity and quality of Sicilian wines, offering a great range of styles and flavours.
