23/04/2020 Jimmy’s Red Hot Sicily The Volcanic Wines COS Winery @winewithjimmy @westlondonwine @south_london_wine @streathamwinehouseSWS www.westlondonwineschool.com www.southlondonwineschool.com www.streathamwinehouse.com Sicily “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything” (Goethe 18th C) 1 23/04/2020 Sicily: 1100BC Phoenicians and Indigenous populations Sicily: 750BC Greek Influence Sicily: 580-265BC Punic Wars: Carthage v Greece 2 23/04/2020 Sicily: 264BC - 476 Roman Sicilian History: Post Roman 440-827: Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines 827-1091: Saracens/Arabs/Berbers, Vikings 1091-1194: Normans (Kingdom of Sicily in 1130) 1194-1266: German house of Hohenstaufen 1266-1282: French house of Anjou 1282-1860: Aragon, Spanish Bourbons • 1713-1720: House of Savoy • 1720-1734: Austrian Habsburgs 1816-1860: Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1861: Unification of Italy “Must read” books 3 23/04/2020 Sicilian Production largest area under vine www.italianwinecentral.com Appellations of Sicilia Northeast Sicilia (Val Demone) 4 23/04/2020 Etna Winegrowing Area Established as DOC in 1968 Vineyard area: 950ha/ 2,350 acres Production: 27,000hl/ 300,000 cases Red 60% White 30% Rosato 7% Spumante 3% Mount Etna’s Alpine Climate Etna’s Volcanic Geology 5 23/04/2020 “Must read” book Etna DOC Etna Rosso – Etna Rosso Riserva – Etna Bianco – Etna Bianco Superiore Etna’s Contrade Barbagalli 6 23/04/2020 Key Grape Variety: Carricante Key Grape Variety: Carricante Native to Etna Grows at high elevations Notably high in malic acid MLF/MLC a necessity High acidity, moderate alcohol Key Grape Variety: Nerello Mascalese 7 23/04/2020 Key Grape Variety: Nerello Mascalese Native to Etna Mascali is a commune east of Etna Sangiovese x Mantonico Bianco cross Late ripening, thin-skinned Site sensitive Smooth rustic tannin, high acidity, moderate-to-high alcohol, very savoury Key Grape Variety: Nerello Cappuccio Key Grape Variety: Nerello Cappuccio Native to Etna Mid ripening, thin-skinned Also called Nerello Mantellato Smooth tannin, good acidity, moderate-to- high alcohol Only 1600ha 8 23/04/2020 Producer: Pietrodolce Producer: Pietrodolce Producer: Pietrodolce 9 23/04/2020 Producer: Benanti Producer: Benanti Producer: Fessina 10 23/04/2020 Producer: Fessina Other Key Producers I Vigneri Tenuto di Castellaro 11 23/04/2020 Wine Bar in Randazzo Il Buongustaio dell'Etna Vittoria Winegrowing Area Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Sicilia’s first DOCG in 2005 12 23/04/2020 Producer: COS Producer: COS Limestone Soils Producer: COS 13 23/04/2020 Key Grape Variety: Nero d’Avola Key Grape Variety: Nero d’Avola Most likely native to Siracusa Synonym; Calabrese Likely found in Greek wine Byblinos Needs warm growing conditions Deep color, full body and high alcohol Key Grape Variety: Frappato 14 23/04/2020 Key Grape Variety: Frappato Traditional grape of Vittoria (1760) Means ‘fruitful’ Related to Sangiovese Often used in blends Light-bodied, low tannins Key Wines: Frappato Key Wines: Cerasuolo di Vittoria 15 23/04/2020 Aeolian Islands Aeolian Islands Stromboli 16 23/04/2020 Lipari Key Grape Variety: Malvasia di Lipari Key Grape Variety: Malvasia di Lipari Grown only on the Aeolian Islands Genetically identical: • Malvasia di Sardegna • Greco Bianco di Gerace • Malvasía de Sitges (Cataluña) • Malvasia Cândida (Madeira) 17 23/04/2020 Producer: Tenuto di Castellaro (Lipari) Key Wine Producer: Caravaglio (Salina) 18 23/04/2020 Key Wine Cannoli ‘Leave the gun. Take the cannoli’ (The Godfather) Pantelleria ‘Perla Nera’ 19 23/04/2020 Pantelleria History The Land of Pantelleria Alberello Pantesco 20 23/04/2020 Pantelleria DOC Key Grape Variety: Zibbibo Moscato di Alessandria Big clusters of large, sweet berries Thick skins Suitable for drying Plantings are concentrated on Pantelleria Passito di Pantelleria 21 23/04/2020 Marco de Bartoli ‘Marco is the soul of Italy... He is crazy, of course, but he has a heart of a chevalier’ (Giusto Occhipinti) Marco de Bartoli @winewithjimmy @westlondonwine @south_london_wine @streathamwinehouseSWS www.westlondonwineschool.com www.southlondonwineschool.com www.streathamwinehouse.com 22.