Powerful yet approachable!

Tasting Notes

Palate

 A fabulous white wine sourced from Sicily

Tasting Notes

Colour

Nose

Palate

Specifications

The Rooster, a symbol of pride, courage and honesty, watches over the vineyards. The ancient Greeks believed that the Rooster greeted the sun every morning with its cordial song, which symbolized the victory over the night but at the same time also serves as an alarm clock to mark the beginning of the day for both the animals and the winemakers! 

In Cortese, early morning is a key time to work in the vineyards thus avoiding the impetuousness of the Sicilian sun.

Tasting Notes

What is a wine with no added sulphites? 
Sulfur dioxide is naturally produced by wine during fermentation. In this case we do not add any further. This is possible because during the winemaking process we carry out all the operations meticulously so that it is not necessary to add sulphites.

Viticulture

The grapes are 100% Nero d’Avola from Azienda Agricola Cortese, our organic estate in Vittoria, south-eastern Sicily. The grapes are very carefully selected by hand in the middle of September, brought to the winery in small containers and processed immediately.

Vinification

The prime aim when producing a NSA wine is to keep everything in the winery meticulously clean in order to avoid any possible microbiological growth, except for yeast for the primary fermentation and bacteria for the malolactic fermentation. Fermentation is done in the usual way and we do the pumping over in the early stages of the process. After fermentation, we keen the wine in contact with the skins for 3-4 days, doing some pumping over in order to keep the cap wet. The wine is racked and then stored, with meticulous care not to allow any contact with oxygen.

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Colour

Aroma

The elegant bouquet is a combination of peach, apple, citrus fruits and blossom.

Palate

The palate has a big structure, with excellent acidity, minerality and sapidity and these characteristics give Carricante a particularly long finish.

Viticulture

Our Carricante is cultivated at about 400 metres above sea level. As it is so prolific, it is essential to focus a lot of attention on training the vines – which we do using the Guillotmethod. Strict pruning is also absolutely key in order to limit production. Grapes are hand-picked in the early part of September.

Vinification

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand towards the beginning of September. A careful destemming is followed by soft pressing of the grapes. The decantation of the must at low temperature lasts about 48 hours before the start of the fermentation carried out at 17-19 ° C for about 20 days. After fermentation, the wine is decanted and kept on fine lees for about 5 months with frequent battonages.

Specifications

Leathery, resistant, attached to life: the Agave embodies the spirit of the territory that hosts it. Able to survive in all conditions, he never forgets to explode into the sky in a flowery tower.

An extremely versatile wine. Perfect with pasta, either with white meat or tomato-based sauces, but equally with roasted meats, tuna or swordfish cooked on the grill.

Tasting Notes

This lovely midweight red wine is made from Mount Etna's premium red grape.

Colour

Palate

In the mouth the Nerello Mascalese excels for its elegance thanks to silky tannins and contrasted by a marked minerality.

Vineyards

The name Nerello Mascalese derives from the small town of Mascali on the slopes of Etna, the area of ​​origin of the vine. It is a variety that in recent years has returned to production not only on Etna but also in other areas of Sicily with different expressions.

Our Nerello Mascalese grows at an altitude of about 400m above sea level, and is harvested entirely by hand in small boxes of 10-15 kg. After harvesting, the grapes are immediately separated from the stalk and vinified with an extremely soft pressing.

Vinification

The must is fermented on the skins with frequent remontage during the early stages of fermentation. Once fermentation is finished,we continue the skin contact for about 15 days with one very soft remontage a day. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally once separated from the skins. The wine is kept on its very fine lees for about 6-8 months before being bottled.

Awards

91 points - Luca Maroni - I MIGLIORI VINI ITALIANI (2019 Vintage)

Specifications

Calm expression of an animal capable of enormous effort and equally stubbornness. The donkey represents the soul of working in the fields, a source of life and wealth.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Aroma

The characterful bouquet is a little spicy and reminiscent of jasmine, aromatic herbs and nutmeg, with delicate touches of white peach. 

Palate

On the palate, there is a strong mineral backbone, perfectly balanced with lively acidity. The finish is long and complex with delicious almond flavours.

Viticulture

Our Catarratto grapes are cultivated on slopes at around 400 metres above sea level. Grapes are hand-picked in mid-September in small baskets. Picking takes place in the cool early part of the morning in order to keep the grapes as fresh as possible.

Vinification

The vinification of Catarratto Lucido is carried out on the principle of minimum intervention in order to achieve maximum quality in the finished wine. Grapes are de-stemmed and very softly pressed with a pneumatic press. The must is decanted at a low temperature for about 48 hours before starting the fermentation, which takes place at 17-19C° for about 20 days. After the fermentation is finished the wine is racked and kept on fine lees for at least 5 months, with frequent battonages.

Specifications