£17.50–£20.50, Aitken Wines, ND John, Yorkshire Vintners, Vino Fandango, The Dorset Wine Company, Reserve Wines
This alluring, textured, complex and very individual dry wine was inspired by the way white wines were made using skin contact in Sicily in the past.
Made from two classic Sicilian grape varieties, Catarratto and Grillo, it has a nose of honeyed lemon, pear, straw, dried flowers and buttery nuts and a palate that combines creamy richness and riveting vitality with sweet roast almond, white peach, a hint of honey and a long, fresh, preserved-lemon finish.
Only the best fruit is used for Vanedda Bianco, from hand-picked mature vines on the organic Cortese estate (nothing to do with the Cortese grape variety) in Vittoria in the southeast of the island.
The grapes are first refrigerated at 10ºC for 24 hours, then destemmed and fermented on the skins for at least two days. After that, the wine is separated from the skins to finish fermentation in 30hl oak barrels (botti). It then stays on lees for seven months before being aged in bottle for a further six months.
Only around 10,000 bottles are produced each year.
It pairs well with food, including grilled and creamy fish, chicken and pasta, but also goes with sharper flavours. I enjoyed it with a salad of endive, orange, capers, toasted pumpkin seeds and barrel-aged feta and with slow-cooked pork shoulder with peach, sage and garlic. 13.5%. Empty bottle weight: 640g.
Cortese Vanedda Bianco 2021, Terre Siciliane, Italy
£17.50–£20.50, Aitken Wines, ND John Wines, Yorkshire Vintners, Vino Fandango, The Dorset Wine Company, Reserve Wines
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