ITALIAN WINE CLUB
OCTOBER 2021
THE ISLANDS, THE VOLCANOES, THE WINES.
Sicily is an iconic wonder of an island when it comes to so many delicious things but there are even more wonderful things to discover off of its coastline. More specifically, Mt. Etna steals the show with everything from world class wines to dramatic, and frequent, volcanic eruptions. But travel north to the small string of volcanic Aeolian Islands and you will find some very comparable gems that share similar stories as their more famous neighbor.
Long only recognized for the Malvasia di Lipari sweet wines (which are incredible and clearly still worth seeking out) these tiny islands and their steadfast producers have more recently begun to truly reveal their potential for producing dry wines as well. With the enviable combination of cool sea air, volcanic soils and, of course, ample Mediterranean sunshine, these vines have all the right stuff in terms of producing high quality mineral driven showstoppers.
These factors in abundance would also usually point to more producers trying their hands at this special terroir as well, like in Etna, but to say that viticultural real estate on the tiny islands of Lipari, Salina and Vulcano is limited would be a hilarious understatement. Trying these rare gems together is a truly exceptional treat.
– Kevin Wardell, October 2021
DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE TASTING NOTES HERE.
TENUTA DEL CASTELLARO
'POMICE'
Lipari, Sicily, Italy 2018
MALVASIA DI LIPARI + CARRICANTE [kerr-ah-KAHN-tay]
This biotype of the ubiquitous Malvasia grape has been recorded on the Lipari for centuries (in great detail by the 1600’s.) It is oddly shaped, is not as prolific a producer as many others, and seems uniquely suited to its native home. The results, however, are irrefutable as it is truly a volcanic island gem. Carricante is among Italy’s very best white grapes, found almost exclusively on Mt. Etna. It can make dazzlingly complex and ageable wines, combining brilliant lightness with robust weight and texture. Carricante prefers Etna’s cool upper elevation reaches where Nerello typically won’t ripen, but here on the Aeolian Islands it gets plenty of cool sea air and diurnal shifts.
Massimo Lentsch and Stefania Frattolillo formed Tenuta del Castellaro in 2005, an estate that boasts one the most incredible views imaginable (though hard to find a bad view here) and one of the only new wine projects on the Aeolian archipelago. The winery was designed with a focus on modern efficiency and sustainability in combination with some unique local Lipari natural construction knowledge. For example, they make use of a solar chimney, a wind tower and a thermal labyrinth that all act as a natural and zero energy temperature control system for their cellars.
All of their farming is Organic and, once again, they follow the traditional local methodology by training their vines in the “quinconce” triangular shape to take advantage of the full sun exposure and create airflow in the vineyards. Lastly, they use a traditional system of wood boxes (now on a mobilized cart) to rest the grapes after harvest for weeks under the warm sun allowing them to sweeten perfectly for their sweet Malvasia.
Pickled pineapple? That needs to be a thing if it is not already. Beeswax and tart tangerines with some green herbal elements almost leaning towards oregano. The volcanic soil displays some assertive transparency here with ‘Tufo-like’ minerality from start to finish. At the finish it is wide open, seemingly expanding in texture as you drink it as opposed to zipping up clean and crisp. This wine is meant to age gracefully and there is no doubt it has plenty more to say in the next couple years.
Malvasia di Lipari is usually made into a sweet wine. The grapes are harvested late and then dried on mats or in bins before they’re transformed into one of Italy’s most revered sweet golden treats.
CAPOFARO 'DIDYME'
Salina, Sicliy, Italy 2020
MALVASIA DI LIPARI [mahl-vah-ZEE-ah dee LEE-pah-ri]
Untangling the multitudenal multiverse of Malvasia that exists is a mountainous task. Here is an opinionated take on the things to know:
- There are really two types of Dry (not sweet) White (there are a number of red varietal biotypes by this name too) Malvasia Wines that you should be super excited about exploring at every opportunity: Malvasia di Lipari and Malvasia Istriana (from the opposite corner of Italy on the Slovenian border of Friuli.) The small amounts of these wines out there are pretty damned great with little exception.
- Of the many other Malvasia clones throughout Italy, there are actually a steadily growing number of fantastic wines to be had these days in many forms (including frizzante and skin-contact wines.)
- Sweet wines are another subject, too often dismissed as “dessert wine” in the US, but know that Lipari produces some seriously textural and amazing examples also very worth learning about.
One of the coastal focal points on Salina is, as one might expect, the lighthouse that guides the inter-island ferries around the island. But it also marks the location of the stunning Capofaro (meaning: lighthouse cape) vineyards belonging to the Tasca d’Almerita family since 1830. Capofaro is known for concentrating their efforts solely on the one Malvasia di Lipari grape and nothing more and can be credited with producing one of the earliest commercial examples of dry Malvasia wine, as opposed to the traditional (and insanely delicious) sweet ones. Their wines are designed to both showcase the grape variety as much as they are to epitomise the black volcanic terroir in which they’re grown, as well as perhaps transporting you to their picturesque beaches at first sip.
Dried white flowers, yellow plums and kettle corn are the first to mind although it is a bit shy on the nose, especially for the varietal. The palate is another story altogether. Saline, flinty white pepper, rich green apple and starfruit make for a complex combination. Chalky almost beyond Chablis, this gives very little tropicality considering its locale. Ample in body and ready for fresh oily seafood, this is a serious showstopper of a wine on any dinner table.
The ancient Greeks called the island Didyme, which translates as “twins” and refers to the pair of extinct volcanoes that created the island.
CARAVAGLIO
‘NERO DU MUNTI’
Salina, Sicily, Italy 2020
CORINTO NERO [ko-REEN-toh NEH-roh]
The Corinto Nero grape has called the volcanic caldera of Lipari home for centuries and is a truly ancient local variety. Caravaglio’s Corinto Nero vines are pre-phylloxera and the majority are more than 150 years old. There are a number of clues that point experts to this variety being a very old (and seedless!) mutation of Sangiovese, where others maintain that its origin has it’s own identity along that particular genetic branch. Clearly there is more work to do there, but it is so exceedingly rare and localized, there is very little information to work with. Caravaglio is just about the only 100% varietal example, certainly the only one that most of us will ever come across. Unless we visit the island… Field Trip! Who’s with me?
Winemaking on the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily began with five Spanish families who initiated all basic agriculture in the dark volcanic island soils in the 1500’s, one of which is Caravaglio. Today, Antonino Caravaglio carries on the traditions his ancestors have established, and can trace his own rooted vines back to the original Venetian traders that brought the Malvasia delle Lipari and Corinto Nero grapes to the island. The vines are certified Organic now, but have been managed organically since their original plantings. An incredibly special and rare viticultural treasure indeed.
Summer blackberries and Mulberries gathered along a garden path, complete with some distinct forest floor tones. Bits of black licorice, ball point ink and a helping of fresh picked berry pie… more tart than sweet of course. Corinto soaks up plenty of the Mediterranean sun with ripeness but still remains taught on the tongue. Easy to picture as the house wine at the seaside trattoria with a volcano shaped sunset backdrop.
Corinto Nero actually remains a required grape, albeit in very small amounts, in the making of the famed local sweet white wines ‘Malvasia di Lipari.’
HAUNER ‘HIERA’
+ 30% ALICANTE
+ 10% NOCERA
Vulcano, Sicily, Italy 2017
NERO D’AVOLA [NEH-roh DAH-vo-lah]
To note… the actual information on this wine seems even more limited than the wine itself. Many sources list the amount of Alicante to Nero d’Avola in opposite quantities. Whether this is a mistake or actually varied in different vintages, both or neither could be true it seems. Nero d’Avola (actually named Calabrese!) is a prominent grape that’s not surprising to see on the islands but certainly takes on some unique characteristics in this terroir and island climate. The Alicante history here dates back to the early Spanish agricultural influence, as it does in a few other spots in Italy’s grape varietal landscape.
Carlo Hauner Sr. was an artist and a designer, and in the early 60’s his true art was realized with his groundbreaking and iconic wines. His vineyard work and the brilliant results in the bottle that followed by the early 80’s basically single handedly introduced the wines of the Aeolian islands and their pristine volcanic soils to the world. Carlo passed away in 1996, and now his son and the generations inspired by the icon have carried his torch, and with it the same attention to quality as Hauner established. Carlo built the winery in Salina, but Hiera (meaning ‘sacred’ in ancient Greek) is the original name of the neighboring island of Vulcano, which is where these grapes are grown.
Plucky plums and deeply delicious baked raspberries bring you down the Hauner rabbit hole, with a hint of leather and spice lending some savory depth. Light on its feet when it comes to the Nero d’Avola influence, yet there is little here that would point anywhere other than Sicily. There are some iron-y qualities to the wine that desire some (perfectly) thinly sliced charcuterie, as well as some balsamic and rhubarb notes that give a perfect platform for a plate of hard cheeses and pungent Sicilian olives.
The primary ‘Isole Eolie’ are Lipari, Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi, Panarea, Vulcano and Stromboli. The last two are still very active volcanoes.