Bukkuram Sole d'Agosto 2022

Cette cuvée provient du vignoble de Bukkuram, sur l’île volcanique de Pantelleria, au large de la Sicile, dans la province de Trapani. Les ceps d’alberello pantesco s’accrochent à des terrasses de sols volcaniques, baignées de soleil et ventilées par les brises marines. Le vin relève de l’appellation Passito di Pantelleria DOC.

Une partie des raisins est vendangée à la main à la mi-août puis séchée au soleil durant au moins deux semaines ; le reste mûrit sur pied jusqu’en septembre. Les raisins frais sont pressés et fermentent avec des levures indigènes. Les baies passerillées, éraflées à la main, sont ajoutées progressivement au vin en fermentation et macèrent environ trois mois. Le vin séjourne ensuite au moins six mois en fûts de chêne, avant un affinage en cuves inox.

Ce vin dévoile des notes de figue sèche, de datte, d’abricot confit, de raisin sec, de bergamote, de gingembre, d’amande, de fleur d’oranger, d’herbes balsamiques et d’embruns marins. La bouche, ample et crémeuse, déploie une douceur profonde sans lourdeur : une fraîcheur vive et une fine salinité étirent la matière jusqu’à une finale longue, florale et épicée.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, home of the Dolce Vita, but how hard it is to understand how its wine is organised! The key to understanding Italy's appellation system is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single uniform one, since each region has its own appellation system. Yet Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavours and styles, as well as bottles full of surprise and creativity. Unfortunately it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most useful and commercially renowned names: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let us talk a little history: winegrowing in Italy goes back to the most distant antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and changed the grape varieties, later calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and some regions already stood out for the excellence of their produce. The Romans also planted many vineyards across Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquests. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a fairly harsh mountain climate. The plain in the "middle of the boot" has a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. The "south of the boot" enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very hot, very dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a great variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of them native to its land. It is a country just as complex as its wines, and well worth exploring!