Marco de Bartoli Bukkuram Sole d'Agosto 2022

This cuvée comes from the Bukkuram vineyard, on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, off Sicily, in the province of Trapani. The alberello pantesco vines cling to terraces of volcanic soil, bathed in sunshine and cooled by sea breezes. The wine belongs to the Passito di Pantelleria DOC appellation.

Part of the grapes is harvested by hand in mid-August and then dried in the sun for at least two weeks; the rest ripens on the vine until September. The fresh grapes are pressed and fermented with native yeasts. The dried berries, destemmed by hand, are gradually added to the fermenting wine and macerate for about three months. The wine then spends at least six months in oak barrels, before maturing in stainless-steel tanks.

This wine reveals notes of dried fig, date, candied apricot, raisin, bergamot, ginger, almond, orange blossom, balsamic herbs and sea spray. The broad, creamy palate unfolds a deep sweetness without heaviness: lively freshness and fine salinity draw the wine out to a long, floral and spicy finish.

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!