Pietranera Pantelleria 2023

This cuvée is born on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, off western Sicily, in the province of Trapani, facing the Marsala coast. Classified as Terre Siciliane IGT for this vintage, it comes from old Zibibbo vines trained as alberello pantesco, on terraced slopes with black volcanic soils in the contrade of Cufurà and Ghirlanda.

The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and gently crushed. A cold maceration of about 24 hours precedes pressing and 48 hours of settling at low temperature. Fermentation is carried out by native yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, followed by six months of ageing in stainless-steel tanks.

This wine reveals notes of mango, passion fruit, watermelon, peach, grapefruit, orange zest, lemon, rose, white flowers, thyme, mint and gunflint. The palate is dry, supple and slender, carried by invigorating acidity and an intense saline thread. A fine tannic touch underlines the texture, while the long, mineral finish retains a lovely Mediterranean freshness.

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!