£12.50, The Wine Society
This mouthwatering, mineral dry white combines two of my enthusiasms: wines from volcanic soils and island wines. They come together on the slopes of Etna as they do on the Greek island of Santorini, but Etna has its own grape varieties, red as well as white. The whites are steered by the high-quality, late-ripening Carricante, filled out here with Sicily’s most widely planted white, Catarratto, both planted at 700–750m. Aside from the mineral character (I know, an overused and imprecise term, but hard to avoid when soils are volcanic and mineral-rich) there’s pithy grapefruit and orange zest lightly etched with honey, a streak of dill-cum-celery and a fresh, salty, sea-breeze finish. It’s a sure-fire partner for spaghetti alla vongole and other seafood, including octopus (another of my enthusiams), and salads with ingredients such as Pecorino, Feta, anchovy and olives. This wine and two Fondo Filara reds are part of The Wine Society’s current Italian offer and all three are included in a Sicilian and Sardinian mixed dozen that I highly recommend as an introduction to both islands’ wines (£145, saving £14.80). Look out for a blogpost about some of them in the days to come.
Tenute Nicosia Fondo Filara Etna Bianco 2017, Etna, Sicily, Italy
£12.50, The Wine Society