Marco de Bartoli Riserva semi-dry 2004

This cuvée comes from Contrada Samperi, in the Marsala area, at the western tip of Sicily. The Grillo vines thrive on flat, sandy-limestone soils shaped by the maritime influence. It belongs to the Marsala DOC appellation.

The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, then gently pressed and naturally settled. Traditional fermentation is carried out by native yeasts in oak barrels. A mistella, made from fresh must and grape spirit from the same grapes, is added to fortify it. The wine then continues ageing for more than ten years in oak barrels of various sizes.

This wine reveals notes of candied orange zest, candied lemon, dried fig, raisin, apricot jam, date, walnut, toasted almond, honey, cigar box, smoke, rosemary and sweet spices. The broad, silky palate combines measured sweetness with energetic acidity and a saline thread. Its long, evolving finish extends the flavours of candied citrus, dried fruit and fine oak.

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!