Description

Winemaking Notes: Grapes macerate for 13 hours on the skin before pressing. Wine is vinified in concrete tanks with minimal intervention and with native yeast. Wine ages for 6 months in tank and another 3 months in bottle. A small amount of SO2 is added at bottling. The wine is not fined and not filtered.

Tasting Notes: Golden yellow in the glass, the Sikel Grecanico Dorato (identical to the Garganega grape) shows notes of almond, straw, and lemon. It has great acidity and structure.

Food Pairing: Try Panelle (Link->http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fried-chickpea-polenta-em-panelle-em-241707)

About the Domaine: The estate was founded in 2001 on a hill formerly known as Poggio dei Fossi in the southeastern Sicilian province of Siracusa. Today the Patern sisters, Marilina and Federica, are at the helm. Their philosophy reflects a deep respect for the land, with organic farming and natural winemaking. They have been influenced by Frank Cornelissen, the guru of natural winemaking on Mount Etna.

About Sicily: Well make you an offer you cant refuse: Mediterranean sunshine, rocky hillsides, and wines as voluptuous as Sophia Loren. Sicily has been making wine since before The Godfatherwas a twinkle in Mario Puzos eye. With its intense southern sunshine, Sicilys wines are deep-colored and high-strength. For much of the century, the focus was on quantity, but the nineties brought a shift toward quality, and more investment from the north. Its a boon for everyone that the wines have begun living up to their potential: with mountainous terrain and poor (i.e., vine-friendly) soil, intense summer heat, and low rainfall, their potential is legion. Add to the mix a range of native grapes with real personality Catarratto, Inzolia, Grillo, Nero dAvola, Frappato, Perricone, and Nerello Mascaleseand you have a unique wine producing region that is making huge strides on the international scene. DOC (Denominazione dOrigine Controllata) wines are less common than the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica).

In 2000, Angelo Patern bought 60 hectares (148 acres) on a hill formerly known as Poggio dei Fossi in the southeastern Sicilian province of Siracusa near the town of Pachino. After 25 years in the business as the winemaker and technical director for the Sicilian wineries Cantine Settesoli and then Duca di Salaparuta, Angelo said that the land was one of the best viticulture areas he’d seen in Sicily. Today Angelos daughters, Marilina and Federica, are at the helm with Angelo still helping in the cellar.

Deeply influenced by Frank Cornelissen, the guru of natural winemaking on Mount Etna, the Patern family organically farms their land and makes wine with minimal intervention in the cellar (little to no additives, low sulfur). They respect the land and have created a polyculture to ensure ecosystem stability. Only 35 out of the 60 hectares on the property are planted with vines; the rest of the land is used for mixed farming. Grape varieties grown on the farm include Nero d’Avola, Grecanico, Muscat Blanc, Moscato Giallo, Insolia, Merlot, Tannat, Viognier, and Chardonnay. Huge concrete tanks are used for fermentation and elevage. The large concrete tanks control fermentation temperatures in the warm Mediterranean climate, thus preserving fruit and freshness.