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Sicilian sticky is natural sweetness
By Aubrey Buckingham |
May 17, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
I'VE been itching to rave about Donnafugata's Ben Rye since I returned from Sicily earlier last month and now seems the perfect time to be drinking it. I mentioned in my first article on the visit that the winery treated us thirsty travelers to a vertical tasting of this astounding style of naturally sweet wine.
The wine is made by the Rallo family from the zibbolo grape on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, 100 kilometers southwest of the Mediterranean isle and 70 kilometers off the coast of Tunisia.
The wine style is known as passito and the grapes are picked from 11 sites around the island at different levels of maturity.
Some are picked in August and left to dry in the sun for 20-30 days, with the rest harvested in September and crushed immediately for fresh juice. The dried grapes are then destemmed by hand and added in several phases.
The result is a beautiful amber nectar with what is best described as "persuasive" sweetness.
The taste is loaded with goodies such as peaches and apricots, while the sheer complexity of this perfectly weighted wine astounds all through its long, persistent finish.
The producer calls Ben Rye (which is Arabic for "son of the wind" and should not be pronounced like Rye whisky) a meditation wine.
This may sound a tad too New Age for some but what it really means is one sip will have you proclaiming your love for it as a mighty wine.
Pair it with some chocolate for a devilishly sinful end to your evening. Or, perhaps, even a mischievous beginning to one.
Such indulgences don't come cheap however, and Ben Rye, distributed in Shanghai by ASC Fine Wines, costs 1,065 yuan (US$156.10) and 591 yuan for a half bottle.
The wine is made by the Rallo family from the zibbolo grape on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, 100 kilometers southwest of the Mediterranean isle and 70 kilometers off the coast of Tunisia.
The wine style is known as passito and the grapes are picked from 11 sites around the island at different levels of maturity.
Some are picked in August and left to dry in the sun for 20-30 days, with the rest harvested in September and crushed immediately for fresh juice. The dried grapes are then destemmed by hand and added in several phases.
The result is a beautiful amber nectar with what is best described as "persuasive" sweetness.
The taste is loaded with goodies such as peaches and apricots, while the sheer complexity of this perfectly weighted wine astounds all through its long, persistent finish.
The producer calls Ben Rye (which is Arabic for "son of the wind" and should not be pronounced like Rye whisky) a meditation wine.
This may sound a tad too New Age for some but what it really means is one sip will have you proclaiming your love for it as a mighty wine.
Pair it with some chocolate for a devilishly sinful end to your evening. Or, perhaps, even a mischievous beginning to one.
Such indulgences don't come cheap however, and Ben Rye, distributed in Shanghai by ASC Fine Wines, costs 1,065 yuan (US$156.10) and 591 yuan for a half bottle.
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