A Wine Lover's Look at the Mountain Vineyards of Sicilia

If you're hosting a wine tasting party, your guestsancient winemaking families in eastern Siciliy,
will enjoy the wines more when you can offer astarted the Valle dell'Acate winery on the Bidini
little background on the winery. As you pourEstate in the province of Ragusa in 1981. Covering
wines, sharing stories of the wineries can lead toover 100 hectares of wine grapes, Valle dell'Acate
a more distinctive taste as your guests can alsogrows the native Nero d'Avola, Frappato, and
picture where a wine originated. This articleInsolia, along with the international varieties
examines the wine producing region of Sicily andChardonnay and Syrah. This large property lies
the mountain vineyards, including Valle dell'Acatebetween the towns of Acate and Vittoria on
and Azienda Agricola Graci, producers of thesteep hills above the Dirillo River. Producer of
perfect wines to complement any wine tastingwines called "impeccable" by Italian wine clubs and
party.the wine guide Gambero Rosso, the jewel of the
Sicilyestate is Nero d'Avola, Sicily's noble red grape
Some say Sicilians have less Italian blood in theirblended with aromatic Frappato in the Cerasuolo di
veins than the Phoenician, Green, Arabic, Norman,Vittoria wine and with Syrah in the Tane.
Spanish, or French because its location at theAzienda Agricola Graci
crossroads between Europe and Africa causedTasting the wines from this tiny winery that
many different cultures to leave their trace onproduces only 1,000 cases is a privilege shared by
this beautiful largest island in the Mediterranean.very few, probably more foreigners and
The Greek cities of Sicily flourished during the 6thmembers of Italian wine clubs than native Sicilians.
and 5th Centuries BC and their ruins are some ofIn 2004, Alberto Aiello Graci founded the winery
the most impressive outside of Greece, especiallylocated on Mount Etna, the largest active volcano
the Valley of the Temples near Agrigento. Naturein Europe, which is 3.329 meters above sea level
also has its achievements in Sicilia, its magnificent(10.922 feet), its fiery halo visible from great
beaches, remote hill towns and plains, its mountaindistances. The Graci estate is located on the
ranges, and spectacular Mount Etna, one of thenorthern slope of the mountain at Passopisciaro,
three active volcanoes rendering the landwhere viticulture goes back thousands of years.
immensely fertile.Alberto Graci farms three vineyards at various
The Vineyards Of Sicilyaltitudes.
The island of Sicily is home to more vineyardsWith many of the winery's vines planted over 100
than any other region. The western province ofyears ago on their own roots instead of root
Trapani alone produces more wine than the entirestock, Azienda Agricola Graci farms with no
regions of Toscana or Piemonte, althoughextraneous materials whatsoever, not even what
winemakers ship much of this wine north for usemight be approved by organic farming regulations.
as blending wine or for distillation into industrialThese extraordinary wines are all pure extractions
alcohol. Marsala makes up most of the fine wineof this mountain and its volcanic power that has
produced here along with many dry white and redawed ancient people and modern witnesses alike.
wines from Etna vineyards whose vines drapeWhether you belong to loyal Italian wine clubs who
over the lower slopes of the volcano showingregularly feature these wines or just buy a bottle
notable class. Italian wine clubs often feature Sicilyfrom your local wine shop, you are sure to enjoy
Marsalas in addition to Nero d'Avola, Nerellothe wines of Sicily a little bit more now that you
Mascalese, and Perricone.know some of the fascinating history of these
Valle dell'Acatevineyards.
Jacono Ricca and Ferreri del'Anguilla, both from