Italy's Indigenous Grapes and Wines of Sicily

Italy’s Islands (in this case Sicily!) are the hottest new frontier in Italian winemaking.  Until quite recently, there was really no history of quality winemaking on both, just small pockets of quality here and there.  Not for reasons of terroir, but rather reasons of politics.  But things have changed quickly, and dramatically.  There has been a huge surge in private investment, due to the inherent potential of these ancient and mysterious Islands.  Accordingly, there is unrivaled experimentation, winemakers not bound by tradition, but rather on innovation.

Italy is home to more than 1,000 grape varieties—hundreds of which are not grown anywhere else in the world.  But why??  The reason is two fold (1) its perfect positioning (i.e. hundreds of different unique climates) and (2) unique history of trade (for thousands of years it has been a stopping point for travelers, a melting pot of different cultures).  As such as visitors moved into Italy that not only brought new ideas but also grapes that they had cultivated in their native homes.  In turn, the climate was almost always hospitable to the new arrivals, providing the right conditions for their growth.  The result- a myriad of unique varietals and a never ending supply of grapes to try!  This tasting is intended to help you isolate the differences between Italy’s key indigenous Red Grapes in their ultimate forms; Sangiovese(in the form of Brunello), Nebbiolo(in the form of Barolo), and Aglianico(in the form of Taurasi).  It is these key indigenous grapes that differentiate Italy from all other wine growing regions of the world. 

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