The Grapes of Sicily

For my family reading this, I know you have all been wondering the same thing: how is the wine over here? Well, I feel I have finally tasted enough to give you a complete picture of what Sicilian wine is like. Granted the people here do not drink it in the quantities that we do at home. While the wine is quite free-flowing I suppose the people here are accustomed to it, and therefore do not feel the need to drink as much...or else they just drink it throughout the entire day so it's less noticeable. Maybe we should try this at home? A little vino midday at the office would be fine, right? Totally professional. Anyways, I think the best way to describe the wine is to tell you about my first taste of it during my stay:

My hosts' poured me a few sips in a small drinking glass (the traditional curved wine glasses are not very common here) and the first thing I noticed was how remarkably clear the color was. It was a distinctly cherry red, yet had some translucence to it. I lifted the glass to my nose and for a brief moment was back at my aunt's house: my family sitting around the small kitchen table all laughing and talking at once about those "good ol' days"; the little kids telling each other the most elaborate stories that could only come from the imagination of youthful innocence; the smell of the fresh tomato sauce and Glondo's sausages simmering to perfection in a pan; the sounds of a wine bottle being uncorked and graciously poured into glasses, encouraging the conversation to carry us into the late evening hours. It never ceases to fascinate me how a smell can recall certain memories and moments, and how that one smell can summon details that are easily forgotten. The senses seem to have a way of transporting us--they are the closest thing to time travel as we could probably get. When I took my first sip, I suddenly traveled back in time to when I was 7-years-old receiving my First Communion. For any fellow Catholics out there, you understand that this is when you receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, for the first time. Let's be honest though, at age 7, you feel very grown-up in that moment you get to taste wine for the first time. Then, of course you notice that it is sour tasting and  gradually burning it's way through your throat and stomach, and you spend the rest of mass swallowing your own spit to try and make it go away. My first sip, my friends, of Sicilian wine tasted just like "church wine." It was pungently fruity, slightly acidic, and a bit harsh. That being said however, I do not want you to think that the wine here is awful. As it is with any wine, there are good bottles and bad bottles. My first taste was not the greatest, but it was a good way to experience the fruitiness of Sicilian wine.

Since then I have tried a few different blends of wine, my favorite so far being the Nero d'Avola and Syrah blends. Because the climate here is usually hot, the grapes gain a much richer, darker color, yet have a sweet, jammy flavor to them. So far, my favorite wine I've tasted is Mandrarossa Nero d'Avola.  

Next, I hope to taste some wine made from grapes grown around Mt. Etna. It has become increasingly popular in the past few years. The volcanic soil provides rich, supple soil for the grapes to be grown in and give the wines greater depth of flavor. If you are interested in learning more about Mt. Etna wines I have found an article from Food & Wine Magazine that goes into great detail about this fast-growing trend and even provides a selection of wines and their prices.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/sicilian-wine-from-mount-etna

While the wine I have tasted has been mostly on the sweeter side, I am discovering that there is a vast range of flavors that Sicilian grapes can produce. The key is to keep trying different ones until you find one that suits you. Don't worry, folks, I'll keep looking for that perfect wine, and I'll be sure to let you know how good it tastes. A presto!