2020 Terre di guirfo “Suliccènti” - Sicily, Italy
GRILLO
Winemaking details: Terre di Giurfo resides in the southeastern corner of Sicily on the Dirillo River valley near the city of Vittoria. The landscape is far more hilly and green here compared to other regions in the area, which tend to be more flat, arid, and dusty. This can help to contribute more freshness and expressiveness than other wines from the neighboring areas. Grillo, a cross of Cataratto and Zibbibo, thrives in the heat of this climate and limestone/clay based soils. In the past 10 years, the acreage of Grillo in Sicily has gone up almost 200%, as a result of a few producers championing it’s potential and also gaining international popularity. These grapes are hand harvested and fermented by native yeasts in stainless steel, after going through a short maceration on the skins. To keep the wine fresh and bright, it is aged in steel as well for a few months, and then released after a few months in bottle.
Color: Medium straw
Bouquet: Lemon oil, grapefruit, passionfruit, guava, jasmine, thyme
Palate: While the nose is quite aromatic and expressive, the palate is more mineral driven, with saline and herbal notes. The phenolics are quite light, and the wine is bright, crisp, and refreshing. It has a great texture to it, with a little richness that is complimented by the high acid. It finishes long, and leaves you begging for another sip. It is also a great wine to pair with a variety of foods! Enjoy with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto wrapped melon, citrus glazed sea bass, Sicilian seafood salad, or zesty fettucini with asparagus and burrata.
Enjoy this wine within 2-4 years.
Further information can be found here: Terre di Giurfo
2021 Heimann & Fiai - Szekszárd, Hungary
KADARKA
Winemaking details: Heimann & Fiai is a small family run estate in the Szekszárd region of southern Hungary, where this family is intensely proud of being able to trace back their linage of winemaking to 1758. Kadarka, a grape that once covered over 60,000 hectares of Hungary, was reduced to less than 400 hectares by the early 1990s. Since 2012, the Heimann family has been pioneering the research and replanting of many clones of both the Kadarka and Kékfrankos varietals. After hand-harvesting in multiple passes, these organically farmed grapes are fermented in large wooden and stainless steel open-top vats. Fermented by native yeasts with some clusters remaining intact, there is a a 10-12 day maceration with twice daily gentle foot-trodding or pumpovers. Once dry, the wine is pressed to neutral Hungarian oak, where it undergoes full native ML, and then rests for 5-8 months before bottling. Unfined and unfiltered, with minimal effective sulfur added at bottling.
Color: Pale Garnet
Bouquet: Pomegranate, black raspberry, wild cherry, hibiscus, subtle bell pepper and paprika, and dried herbs
Palate: This wine is quite playful with heavy notes of fruit on the nose, yet offers surprisingly serious layers of crushed earth and spice. There is more structure than expected with the translucent color, but the tannins are present, round, and long. It’s absolutely delicious with a vibrant acidity and elegance, and would pair well with traditional Hungarian dishes such as goulash or paprika chicken, spicy BBQ pork, or even a slice of pizza.
This wine could be enjoyed now or age another 2-3 years.
Further information can be found here: Heimann & Fiai