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Sicilians strive for global blend
By Aubrey Buckingham |
April 12, 2009, Sunday
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LAST week I wrote about the aspirations of the Mediterranean island of Sicily to provide world-class wine for the global market through modern facilities and international marketing efforts. This week, I'll look at the interpretations they make of their terroir and cultivars.
During a blind tasting on March 21 at the Il Minareto Hotel in Syracuse, local enologist Dr Riccardo Cotarella addressed journalists and wine makers on the direction Sicilian wines have been taking and the ramifications of decisions made by individual producers.
"Wine making 40 years ago was almost the middle ages," he said. "Recent years have been highly professional, as producers have drawn upon science and knowledge as well as tradition.
"When we want to consider a wine, it would be an insult to only consider its origins. Sicily is too general a word ? while varieties are nothing but a means for us to express what our areas involve. One can steal varietals but not areas, and we have a moral duty to use our own varietals."
Local grapes
The message from the doctor was clear - Sicilian grapes were needed to express Sicilian terroir. Most participants spent the forum seeking to understand the "continent's" champion grape, nero d'avola.
The various interpretations were startling, from the plumy, jammy drops provided by those looking to export to the over-extracted, over-barriqued versions local-centric producers are incredibly proud of.
The whites were promising, with good minerality a common thread linking the different styles, and most seemed suitable for Asian fare. Grillo is a particular interesting grape for those fond of aromatics, while the cattaratto grape often brings good acidity and very ripe fruit.
Grower-turned-producer Caruso & Minini, for example, in Marsala, is a great example of a winery using modern techniques but reflecting the tradition of local varietals. Its wines are true expressions of the terroir, and meet the approval of purists.
Yet the real issue is not the use of these familiar cultivars but rather the lack of expression producers put into their drops - the obsession with modernity leads many to produce squeaky clean wine.
"The problem is not with international grapes but rather a lack of character," suggested Cotarella. "While we must promote local grapes, why make grapes without local character?
Overload senses
He said many new drinkers were still coming to grips with the likes of chardonnay and pinot noir and to foist new grapes on them would overload their senses and scare many off. The local market was not alone in this, he said.
"The most attuned wineries were those that understood that their local varitels could piggy back on internationally recognized grapes," he said.
A good example is the Cusamono Noa, a blend of 40 percent nero d'avola, 30 percent merlot and 30 percent cabernet sauvignon. Like many local-international blends, the French varietals dominate the bouquet and palate yet the producers still manage to find the niche for nero to demonstrate its own character.
Sicilians wines are not ready to be world-beaters, but they are on the way. The industry, having updated its production facilities, is now at a crossroads - how to make a mark on a global scale, while remaining true to its roots.
The Benanti Serra Della Conessa Rosso from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna is worth a special mention. A blend of nerello mascalese (negrello) and nerello cappuccino, the wine (and region) is perhaps the focal point of Sicily's search for excellence.
The rich bouquet with ash and flint, wild berries and peach comes together on a palate with fantastic structure and well-integrated grippy tannins that underlie remarkable aging potential. A glass of this magnificent wine celebrates the notion of terroir as well as the audacity to grow grapes 500 meters up an active volcano.
During a blind tasting on March 21 at the Il Minareto Hotel in Syracuse, local enologist Dr Riccardo Cotarella addressed journalists and wine makers on the direction Sicilian wines have been taking and the ramifications of decisions made by individual producers.
"Wine making 40 years ago was almost the middle ages," he said. "Recent years have been highly professional, as producers have drawn upon science and knowledge as well as tradition.
"When we want to consider a wine, it would be an insult to only consider its origins. Sicily is too general a word ? while varieties are nothing but a means for us to express what our areas involve. One can steal varietals but not areas, and we have a moral duty to use our own varietals."
Local grapes
The message from the doctor was clear - Sicilian grapes were needed to express Sicilian terroir. Most participants spent the forum seeking to understand the "continent's" champion grape, nero d'avola.
The various interpretations were startling, from the plumy, jammy drops provided by those looking to export to the over-extracted, over-barriqued versions local-centric producers are incredibly proud of.
The whites were promising, with good minerality a common thread linking the different styles, and most seemed suitable for Asian fare. Grillo is a particular interesting grape for those fond of aromatics, while the cattaratto grape often brings good acidity and very ripe fruit.
Grower-turned-producer Caruso & Minini, for example, in Marsala, is a great example of a winery using modern techniques but reflecting the tradition of local varietals. Its wines are true expressions of the terroir, and meet the approval of purists.
Yet the real issue is not the use of these familiar cultivars but rather the lack of expression producers put into their drops - the obsession with modernity leads many to produce squeaky clean wine.
"The problem is not with international grapes but rather a lack of character," suggested Cotarella. "While we must promote local grapes, why make grapes without local character?
Overload senses
He said many new drinkers were still coming to grips with the likes of chardonnay and pinot noir and to foist new grapes on them would overload their senses and scare many off. The local market was not alone in this, he said.
"The most attuned wineries were those that understood that their local varitels could piggy back on internationally recognized grapes," he said.
A good example is the Cusamono Noa, a blend of 40 percent nero d'avola, 30 percent merlot and 30 percent cabernet sauvignon. Like many local-international blends, the French varietals dominate the bouquet and palate yet the producers still manage to find the niche for nero to demonstrate its own character.
Sicilians wines are not ready to be world-beaters, but they are on the way. The industry, having updated its production facilities, is now at a crossroads - how to make a mark on a global scale, while remaining true to its roots.
The Benanti Serra Della Conessa Rosso from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna is worth a special mention. A blend of nerello mascalese (negrello) and nerello cappuccino, the wine (and region) is perhaps the focal point of Sicily's search for excellence.
The rich bouquet with ash and flint, wild berries and peach comes together on a palate with fantastic structure and well-integrated grippy tannins that underlie remarkable aging potential. A glass of this magnificent wine celebrates the notion of terroir as well as the audacity to grow grapes 500 meters up an active volcano.
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