This month the Italian Food Wine and Travel group is taking a virtual trip to Sicily. Our host this month is Camilla of Culinary Cam. You may read her invitation post here.

Sicily – An Overview:

Sicily has a rich viticultural heritage. Sicilians have been making wine since before Greeks conquered the island in 750 B.C.  It is the largest island in the Mediterranean and has the most vineyards in Italy.

Much of its recent wine history has been defined by two things: fortified Marsala (a boom-and-bust cycle whose heyday was arguably the 1800s) and cheap blending wine sold to various regions of Italy and elsewhere in Europe. (Source)

But in the last 30 years the wine industry in Sicily has gone through a transformation – from producing bulk wines mostly through cooperatives in the 60’s,  to now being considered one of the most exciting wine regions in Europe!

A focus on quality over quantity, native grapes and a variety of microclimates is reinvigorating this rugged island at the center of Italian winemaking. – Wine Enthusiast

With roughly 300 days of abundant sunshine per year, it is a grape grower’s paradise. Add temperate Mediterranean influences, and island winds to protect against frost and mildew, which makes organic farming easier. Finally with almost 20 native grape varieties, there is plenty of biodiversity.

Gastronomically speaking, Sicily manifests a plethora of diverse culinary influences, but at its core, Sicily’s ancient cuisine relies on a few key home-grown ingredients: shellfish and citrus, tuna and swordfish, pistachios, almonds and ricotta.

In My Glass – 2017 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore

Aeris (air or climate in Latin)is a newish label produced Rhys Vineyards owner Kevin Harvey.

Rhys crafts cool climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from rocky soils in mountainous, cool, coastal climate zones in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Anderson Valley.

The Aeris brand is the result of Harvey’s visit to Sicily where he fell in love with the two Sicilian grape varieties. More specifically Carricante (which many believe to be one of Italy’s greatest white grapes) grown high on the cool eastern slope of Sicily’s volcano, Mt Etna, and and 100 y.o. Nerello Mascalese grapes from the northern slope of Mt Etna.

It is focused on wines made from the Italian grapes Nebbiolo, Carricante and Nerello Mascalese.

They have vineyards in both Italy and California. The Sicilian vineyards are located on the best sites on the island’s volcano Mt. Etna, while their California vineyard (planted with imported grapevines) called Centennial Mountain is situated on a remote mountain west of Lake Sonoma, atop California’s costal range. That vineyard was planted in 2012, and they are the first winery in California plant Carricante, which is believed by many to be among Italy’s greatest grapes.

Until the vineyards planted in Sicily sufficiently mature they work with local legend Salvo Foti and import old vine Carricante and Nerello Mascalese wines.

We purchased this bottle last year when we visited the Aeris tasting room in Healdsburg. It was a great opportunity to taste the wines crafted in Sicily, along side one from California made from the same grape variety!

Want to know more about Aeris? The project has been written about my Eric Asimov of the NY Times, as well as Esther Mobley of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Fruit for this wine was sourced from organically farmed 80 year old vines in Milo on the eastern slope of Mt. Etna There, it is the exclusive source of Etna Bianco Superiore, which is analogous Burgundy’s “Grand Cru” designation.

Tasting Note: Pale yellow with apple, lemon peel, honeycomb, wet stone, dried herb, almond, and a hint of sea breeze aromas On the palate it’s medium-bodied with high acidity, and lovely texture with ripe green and yellow apple, quince paste, lemon, and wet stone flavors accented with a very appealing salinity. Long finish. 100% Carricante. 12.2% abv 91pts

On My Plate

This month’s theme had me day dreaming of sitting on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in a small family run restaurant with access to the freshest seafood. Inspired by the day dream, I found a Seafood Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops (and Garlic!) recipe that I thought would be perfect with the wine.

And you know what? I was right!

Looking for more perfect Sicilian wine and food pairings? I invite you to read my fellow #ItalianFWT post for more inspiration!

A Journey Across Sicily with Donnafugata by Vino Travels

An Enchanting Sweet Wine: Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia by Grape Experiences

An Intro to Five of Sicily’s Native Grapes and Its Unique Cuisine Inspires Island Dreams by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley

Capodanno: Ending 2022 with an Indigenous Sicilian Grape + Spaghetti ai Ricci di Mare by Culinary Cam

Cortese – Organic Wines from Sicily Championing Biodiversity by Crushed Grape Chronicles

Easy Air Fryer Salmon with Chardonnay from Sicily by Cooking Chat

Famiglia Tasca shares its love for Nero d’Avola by My Full Wine Glass

Frappato and Biodiversity at Santa Tresa Winery by Savor the Harvest

Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes and an Organic Grillo Wine by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Sicily’s Frappato, a Good Match With Seafood and Pasta Pomodoro by The Wine Chef

Tasca- A Sicilian Icon by Avvinare

________________________________________________________________________

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Vivino and for all things wine.  As a wino with latent foodie tendencies, you’ll also find plenty food and wine pairings! Become a fan and join ENOFYLZ Wine Blog on Facebook. Cheers!

Copyright Notice: This entire site is Copyrighted 2010-2023. All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized copying of any section of this site is permitted. If you wish to use any part of this site, contact me. For information on Copyright Law, see the official U.S. Copyright Office home page.