Starfinancer

As dictated by the earth, which colors the citrus fruits and is watered by bright sunsets, that orange color is in the future and perhaps in the destiny of Sicilian wine. A lot of nature, man’s work as well. Little chemistry, boundless love. They are the Orange wines, a type that is gaining more and more approval and conquering markets on the markets, and which now also boasts a significant production made in Sicily. Technically they are macerated whites, or wines fermented and macerated on the skins, which for about ten years have conquered the taste of many enthusiasts, recovering on the one hand the methods of an ancient peasant winemaking and, on the other, they represent a reinterpretation of the Georgian approach to enology: Georgia, a place of myth and reality in the history and diffusion of wine. Finally, it is useless to hide it, it is also a phenomenon of emulation, in fashion, which follows a precise market trend, actually often successful and with great prospects.

From wine to packaging, the reference to the island is constant. Let’s start from Arancino. No dispute of … kind between Palermo and Catania regarding the famous fried rice ball, but one of the new labels of Cantina Caruso and Minini. The grape used is Catarratto, a white berried type as well as the most cultivated in Sicily. Arancino it is part of a project that seals the generational change, a sustainability project. Based on Catarratto, a typical indigenous grape variety, macerated for 20 days on the skins, unfiltered, light bottle: in a word, a fresh, pleasant, “clean” wine with a very specific style that pleases overseas, from Canada to the United States.

From Arancino to Camurrìa Orange (Sicilian expression indicating annoyance) the step is short. The winery is Di Giovanna, owned by the family of the same name, and the territory is that of Contessa Entellina. The base is from Grillo grapes, one of the indigenous vines of western Sicily. Its olfactory set is complex and is characterized by its hints of orange peel, almonds and wildflowers.

From the Salemi areahere is the Macerated Catarratto by Fabio Ferracane. It is a wine that tells the relationship between the vigneron and his land, the exact compromise between tradition and innovation, between present and past. It is characterized by a sensation of astringency which is given by the long maceration on the skins. It is a wine that wants to tell the peasant tradition through herbaceous notes, of dried fruit.

From Marsala, another expression of maceratedfrom Grillo grapes, is Integer by Marco De Bartoli. On the nose it presents all the aromatic characteristics of the varietal. On the palate it is fresh and savory and characterized by remarkable persistence.

Another expression of macerate of Marsala is The Choir of Fondo Antico. It is a Grillo processed after a harvest that takes place in full ripeness and an aging on the skins that extracts an astringent and at the same time enveloping tannin. The product is a structured, pleasant wine that releases hints of fruit but also some notes of caramel and above all versatile in the combination, with quiche of artichokes with fish first courses such as pasta with sardines.

From Menfi, in the province of Agrigentoanother expression of Catarratto: Aremì of Cantine Barbera. Arms it is one of the four suits of Sicilian playing cards: the denari suit, which has the color of gold. The maceration on the skins releases hints of bitter orange peel and orange blossom flowers and some traces of citrus fruits, cedar in particular, which translate on the palate into sweeter scents reminiscent of almond paste and fragrant tones that refer to bread crust . The astringency on the palate highlights these sensations and establishes their structure.

Strong at the right point and the Katamacerato of Cantine Elios, in the territory of Alcamo, from Catarratto grapes. Structure and enveloping are its characteristics. On the nose the notes of citrus and in particular of bitter orange are well marked, which return to the palate with great persistence and a touch of flavor. Everything is obtained from maceration.

Deep sea by Nino Barraco is the synthesis of four monovarietal vinifications, whose grapes come from different vineyards and with different harvest periods, from early to late, passing through the old vines. On the nose it is an exploit of aromas that refer in particular to candied orange, but also hazelnut and saffron. On the palate the entrance is intense with the notes already recognized on the nose. The sapidity stands out and overwhelms the freshness of this apparently difficult wine, which does not neglect any gustatory aspect.