Sicily beyond Etna

Sicily Beyond Etna: Covering the Other Corners of the Trinacria

For Lesson #55, we're bringing you four fabulous bottles perfect for late summer into early autumn drinking: festive pink bubbles from a pair of hip, Cornelissen-worshipping sisters, a skin-contact white from a traditional Marsala grape, a fresh, floral red chock full of "magic virtues", and a plump, earthy Nero d'Avola from a fervently organic, family-run label.

Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest island and has been a center of the region's wine production for over 2500 years. Mount Etna towers over the eastern corners just as its wines loom large on the international market. But Sicily has much to offer outside the Mountain's vast orbit. The climate is perfectly suited for viticulture with abundant sunshine and reliably moderate rainfall. Disease pressure is remarkably low, making organic farming relatively easy. This luxury tempted many producers to chase massive yields, such that Sicily became synonymous with bulk wine in the second half of the 20th century. Fortunately, a growing cadre of more ambitious growers is restoring the island's reputation for higher-quality bottlings. We'll be featuring three of Sicily's most important native grapes between Nero d'Avola (two ways), Frappato, and Grillo from four of its leading modern lights.

Nero d'Avola Pétillant Naturel Rosato, "Fedelie," Cantina Marilina, Sicily, Italy, 2020
Grillo, “Sulle Bucce,” Valdibella, Sicily, Italy, 2019
Frappato, “Mandragola,” Paolo Cali, Sicily, Italy, 2017
Nero d’Avola, “Spaccaforno,” Riofavara, Sicily, Italy, 2016

Wine Enthusiast offers "A Beginner's Guide to the Wines of Sicily" if you're new to the subject. https://www.winemag.com/2019/04/16/be...

Tim Akin goes a step further with travel recommendations and a list of his favorite wines. https://timatkin.com/cork-talk/sicily/

Bill Jensen, sommelier for Michelin-starred Washington DC restaurant Tail Up Goat, and her sister Reveler's Hour, is a breakout star of the Covid-19 Pandemic with his virtual wine school. In an effort to stay in touch with his regulars and soon-to-be regulars, he launched Tail Up Goat Wine School on March 29th. In April 2021, Wine Access named Bill the DC Sommelier of the Year. To attend the live classes, send a request to: [email protected]

In Bill's recap email, he said this:
Sicily is a land apart from the rest of the boot, a continent unto itself at the crossroads of civilization. Having visited myself, I hope that I conveyed some of the magic of the place, the people, and its wines. Sicily turns out wines of every ilk from a growing contingent of small-scale producers who are helping this land of plenty realize its untapped potential for greatness. From bulk wine mecca to Natural Wine vanguard, Sicily has emerged as one of the most exciting wine regions on the planet, and I can't help believing the best is yet to come.

In researching for class, I was struck by how much places like Sicily - at the intersection of global trade since time immemorial - both absorb the cultural imprint of newcomers and retain a singular sense of self. A fabulous place to start for anyone interested in the island's wine history is Bill Nesto's authoritative guide The World of Sicilian Wine. https://bookshop.org/books/the-world-...

I am reminded of innovators like Marsala's John Woodhouse and Etna's Mad Belgian Frank Cornelissen who applied foreign sensibilities to local products and inspired native-born Sicilians to follow suit. That's not to deny the islanders' own contributions to driving innovation. Through the work of winemakers like those we featured this Sunday, the island's wine scene whole is greater than the sum of its cultural inputs and historical influences. After centuries of being treated as a "geopolitical chattel," Sicily is benefiting from its position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, no longer overlooked by the world's wine lovers and squarely in the spotlight.

I have additional resources for you below as always.
The Wine Enthusiast dishes up a surprisingly worthwhile Beginner's Guide to Sicilian Wine. https://www.winemag.com/2019/04/16/be...
Forbes covers Sicily two ways as "an Island Apart" https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomhylan...
and a world of underappreciated red wines. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemical...
The incomparable Arianna Occhipinti reflects on her life in wine. https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/ital...
The Wall Street Journal calls Frappato the Wine of the Summer and Sicily's Best-Kept Secret. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wine...