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Sicily Invades New York.
A great many of you have asked again and again, where can we buy your wine? So I thought I'd post my original e-mail online for future reference. Below please find the complete list of restaurants and wine stores - 54 restaurants and 27 stores, to be exact. First a quick note on this year's harvest. With many producers in Tuscany distraught with the heavy rains that reeked havoc with their crops during harvest, Sicily stands to be the star of 2005 Italian wines. A perfect, hot growing season and a sprinkle of rain here and there left many grape growers mum until all the grapes were in the cantina (winery). And now that it is over, Sicilian winemakers are praising the 2005 vintage as one of the best in the last 10 years. Unfortunately for you and me, 2005 wines will not be available for 6, 12 or 18 months as winemakers are smiling back at their reflection in the stainless steel tanks of grape juice that is aging inside. But not to sell short the previous years ('02, '03 and recently released '04) wine - these are the bottles that we can enjoy now. So here is a summary of the wine you will find. Note: these three bottlings will retail for $18-20/each and in upwards of $60 on a restaurant wine list. Winery Name: Valle dell'Acate
History: Valle dell'Acate is located in the province of Ragusa in the South East corner of Sicily. The winery sits in the triangle of three cities, Acate, Comiso and Vittoria. Founded by the Jacono family in the early 1900's, the winery is composed of 100 hectares (250 acres) of indigenous and international varietals (grapes). The soil is primarily composed of calcium rich sandstone and clay. And the vines enjoy cool mornings and ultra hot days with dry winds ("Sirocco") coming off the coast of North Africa. Evidence of wine production in this region dates to Greek occupation during the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. But the modern story starts in 1600 with the founding of the city of Vittoria by Empress Vittoria Colonna who promised 5 acres of land to the first 75 settlers who promised to plant a vineyard. By the 1800s wine from these grapes was being exported to France to the port town of Marseille. Today, Sicilian and Valle dell'Acate wines are showing up in restaurants, wine stores and supermarkets from Moscow to Minneapolis. Wine: Il Frappato: A bright red color with hints of rose petals and strawberries. This wine is light and wildly aromatic - and a beast to bottle. The Frappato grape is fickle, like the famous Pinot Noir praised in Sideways, so you won't find many 100% bottlings of it. So go on, try it and if you buy enough, maybe yours truly will earn the role of Paul Giamatti in "Sicilian Right Side Up." Did you know: Paul Giamatti thanks Howard Stern for his "big break" when Stern cast him as his nemesis, Pig Vomit, in Private Parts. Sirius, I mean serious.
Cerasuolo di Vittoria: A blend of Frappato and Nero d'Avola. With 40% Frappato in the bottle you still have that fragrant bouquet of Frappato sticking around, but the Nero d'Avola adds to the wine's complexity and color. Cerasuolo is cherry red, drinks softly but has a little spice to it. This wine of ours earned Best Value and ranked 3rd in a tasting of 25 Sicilian wines as reported by the New York Times in August 2005. Hardy-Ha-Ha, it is not only me who is recommending it in a selfish, back slapping manner.
Il Moro: Translates to mean, "the dark." This wine is 100% Nero d'Avola and Nero translates as "black," so you have to compliment the witty winemakers for this name. I would prefer to tell you a tale of this wine being named after the North African Moors who ruled parts of the Mediterranean during the early 700's and then got so drunk on this wine that their kingdom was splintered by the coming Christians. Did you know, #2: Shakespeare wrote his famous play Othello while vacationing in Sicily and drinking lots of Nero d'Avola. Um, sorry that is a lie. But only a small one as nothing will come in the way of a Sicilian and his storytelling.
And finally, as the famous wine cooler makers, Bartles and Jaymes, would say, "Thank you for your support." See below for Restaurants and Wine Stores. Restaurants:
Wine Stores:
... if the wine is not on the shelf, ask for it! Some stores are on-order basis. Eat a Lot
Wine Post - January'06 Back to home...
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