ESTG DOES SICILY - Seattle, WA, USA (5/10/2025)
I had the pleasure to host the Eastside Tasting Group to taste wines from Sicily. I also made an effort to cook a couple of Sicilian dishes I had never done before. With my wife out for the night, I went crazy on garlic and chile flake.
In general, these wines really thrive with food and in fact DEMAND foot. Very acidic on the whole, many of the wines are not easy. On the other hand, they are almost uniformly clean, pure, VERY food friendly, fairly inexpensive, lots of character albeit often rustic.
Whites
As the group arrived they dipped into the first two whites along with a nice range of mostly Italian cheeses. La Tur and Taleggio always shine!
I also tracked down 3 pies from Sunny Hill so we would have nice pizza to munch on for the first few flights. Now, of course, Detroit Pizza is distinctly NOT Sicilian pie. But it is square, tasty and bears some vague similarity. So I went with it and got three pies!
1) Loyal: mozzarella | provolone | parm
2) Nature Buddy: maitake mushroom | taleggio | spring onion | raab
3) Self Conscious: asparagus | leeks | ramp pesto | stracciatella
- 2023 I Custodi Etna Bianco Ædes - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Faint lemon. Clean. Mineral. Just really clean Carricante. - 2022 Benanti Etna Bianco Contrada Cavaliere - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
A much fuller nose than the I Custodi Ædes. Spicy. Is there any oak treatment here? One pro reviews mentions a hint of wood aging, and it is done deftly. Not overpowering the wine but bringing a lot of complexity that is easily handled by the considerable acid and mineral. Plenty of citrus, bracing, saline, long. Fantastic with food. - 2016 Passopisciaro Passobianco - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
Next to the two Carricante wines in the same flight, this Chardonnay is huge. Quite oaky by comparison. Burgundian nose, flinty and reductive. Lots of snap on the palate, quite a bit more brisk on day 2. Rather nice Chard.
Starter Reds
I kicked off with what I assumed would be the two lightest reds. The Occhipinti was perfect once we got into a good bottle.
- 2020 Arianna Occhipinti Il Frappato - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
The first bottle we opened was a bit brown on the edge and seemed a touch oxidized with very tired aromatics. The palate is pretty good, lots of strawberry and mineral.
Given how much I have enjoyed this wine, I wanted the group to taste a proper bottle, so I made a gametime called and snagged a fresh one from my cellar. Here we go! Totally different, bright and crunchy with red fruit. A perfect example, brambly, wild, grassy and rambunctious. The group thought there was a lot of Brett, but it works for me. A wild and fun wine! - 2021 Tenuta Di Castellaro Corinto - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
Corinto Nero, a totally new variety for me. Smoky and a little candied at first. Herbal. Minty. On day 2 the acid and structure is much more present. Drying tannins. Chewy.
Nerello Mascalese 1
Before the main meal we got into the first Nerello Mascalese focused flight. I didn't know either producer and really appreciated the pair of Gambino wines in particular.
- 2020 Gambino Etna Tifeo Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Oh yeah, transparent but powerful. Perfumed. Textbook Nerello Mascalese. On day 2 the roasted earth and Rhone-ish aspects start to come through. The palate has a very pure, cherry profile. Focused. It's a firm wine, not as soaring as some from Etna can be. That said, it is delicious with food and quite proper. - 2020 Gambino Etna Petto Dragone - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Mmm, so perfumed, wild. A hint of volatility, but to me the wine easily handles it. Cedar, earthy, firm. Smoky notes on the nose, wonderfully mineral on the palate. It wants food, and it sings with it. - 2020 Mirella Buscemi Tartaraci - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
This is 70% Nerello Mascalese and 30% Grenache, and that fundamentally changes the wine. Much darker and more purple than the two other wines in the flight, the warm Grenache really takes over. Tasting on day 2, it is actually a much "easier" wine, plenty of snap and acid but with a bit more warmth. It demands food a bit less than the pure Nerello Mascalase. Actually quite fresh and singing on day 2, no oxidation, lots of vigor. This seems better on its own and not in comparison to more traditional examples.
Nerello Mascalese 2
I expected this to be the highlight flight of the tasting, but the cork monster claimed one wine.
The main course was a baked cod dish based on this recipe.
Pasta con Le Sarde (pasta with sardines and breadcrumbs).
And rapini with ALL of the garlic and chile flake the group could handle.
On the whole, the Nerello Mascalese wines were a little more divisive than I expected. These really appeal to me, but a few in the group struggled with them. They are definitely more eclectic and a bit wild.
- 2018 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Moganazzi - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Tenuta delle Terre Nere really is the benchmark producer for me in Etna, the one that made me fall in love. Everything they make is gorgeous. This wine was spot on, exactly what you want from Etna. Earthy, funky, fruity and savory. Roasted and smoky with lovely acid, racy and wild, explosive red fruits with such a mineral backbone. - 2018 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Chiappemacine - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
Smoky, sultry, a bit tough at first but opened up very nicely. Lovely. Touch of balsamic. Terrific wine. - 2011 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Sciaranuova - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
Sigh, sadly corked. I did something I rarely do and hazarded a taste, and despite the TCA this was still deep, intense and concentrated with a lot of stuffing. A shame. (NR/flawed)
Nero d'Avola
This flight was actually much more popular and crowd pleasing on the whole. Nero d'Avola is not my favorite, but these were very nice in a broad range of styles.
- 2017 Masseria del Feudo Nero d'Avola - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
Big, black fruit, pretty straightforward, slightly candied but not bad. On day 2, wow, chewy, licorice, smoky and a touch reductive. This really is showing a whole other layer of depth on day 2. Would recommend plenty of air for this to let it shine. - 2020 Tasca D'Almerita Nero d'Avola Sicilia Lamùri Tenuta Regaleali - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
This wine was so edgy that I wrote "edgy" twice in my very brief notes. Lots of pine forest, resinous, mint. Plenty of acidity, would be killer with a steak. - 2015 Arianna Occhipinti Nero d'Avola Sicilia Siccagno - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
Explosively floral, lilac and lavender. Super sweet & sour, balsamic, very concentrated, searing acidity. Very successful, I really loved this, and I generally am not a huge fan of Nero d'Avola. This was much more red-fruited and ethereal, balancing the structure of the variety with really deft winemaking. Spicy, floral, soaring, herbal, a bit chewy. Fantastic.
Super Sicilian
These were actually quite fun. Steak wines really but tasty.
- 2016 Donnafugata Sicilia Tancredi - Italy, Sicily, Sicilia
Surprisingly crowd pleasing, racy, concentrated. Sort of a "Super Sicilian" blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Nero d’Avola, and Tannat. Spicy, a bit herbal, very firm. Modern but tasty, nothing offensive here, and you certainly still have a lot of Sicilian character. - 2018 Planeta Menfi Didacus - Italy, Sicily, Menfi DOC
100% Cab Franc. Herbal with a bit of sweetness on day 1. Massive and form with tobacco. The aromatics are more developed on day 2. Juicy, sweet and pure but not candied. Lots of acidity, red fruit, leafy and spicy.
Dessert
I tracked down some super tasty mini-Cannoli from Cannolo. Those were winners! Plus a few other desserts. I didn't track down a Sicilian dessert wine so grabbed something Mediterranean.
- 1998 Argyros Vinsanto 12 Years Barrel Aged - Greece, Aegean, Cyclades, Santorini
80% Assyrtiko, 10% Athiri, 10% Aidani.
Fairly ponderous and sweet on day 1 with burned sugar moving to maple syrup.
On day 2 there is a lot of apparent acidity and spicy eucalyptus on the finish that makes this more interesting. Actually quite nice on its own and not at the end of a big tasting.
Thanks all, very fun wines, very educational.
Posted from CellarTracker