Grillo, white soul of modern Sicily

Vinified on its own, Grillo is experiencing a period of success thanks to its captivating aromas and rich flavor texture, which form the basis of its captivating personality.

Many will have already heard that Grillo is a "recent" grape variety, a cross between Zibibbo and Catarratto made in the second half of the 19th century by the great Favarese ampelographer, Baron Antonio Mendola. It would then have seen the light in 1874 in the province of Agrigento, although it later spread widely in that of Trapani, becoming the basis of Marsala. In fact, more recent studies lean toward an entirely natural origin, predating Mendola's experiments. What is certain is that it spread widely as a result of the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century and around the 1930s constituted about 60 percent of the island's vines. Today, however, it has just over 6,000 hectares and is experiencing a second youth vinified in purity, producing wines of great organoleptic depth, fresh, dynamic and potentially long-lived.

We focused on southern Sicily, where it is less common, going with the first two holdings in the province of Agrigento, in Licata and Canicattì, and then moving further south, to the southeastern end of the island in the province of Syracuse. Grillo from hot areas, then, yet extremely nimble and cool.

In a short time Baglio del Cristo di Campobello has become a reference point for many enthusiasts. The winery, managed by Carmelo Bonetta, goes forward with the continuous commitment of all family members, who work with pride and passion. The distinctive feature of the wines is the perfect combination of incisiveness and pleasantness, combined, ça va sans dire, with an excellent quality due also to an interesting peculiarity of the soil of the hills on which the vineyards extend, which is the considerable presence of chalk.

Cva Canicattì is a cooperative winery that represents a virtuous example for Sicily, the result of a project that combines the traditions of the area with state-of-the-art winemaking techniques and a current conception of the wine product. Today Cva can count on a very large vineyard area, distributed in about 60 different wine contexts in the Agrigento area. Fundamental is the work of President Giovanni Greco and winemaker Tonino Guzzo, who aim for high-profile production through great and careful work throughout the production chain.

Moving finally between Noto and Pachino, one of the warmest and sunniest areas in Italy, we find Feudo Maccari, owned by the Tuscan Moretti Cuseri family. The vineyards, many of which are more than 30 years old, are all bush-trained and yield vigorous reds with a Mediterranean character capable of defying time. The results obtained with Grillo are also interesting. There are numerous other crops on the estate: olive trees, oranges, lemons, fruit trees and various species of vegetables typical of this area.

• Baglio del Cristo di Campobello, Sicilia Grillo Lalùci 2021
• CVA Canicattì, Sicilia Grillo Fileno 2021
• Feudo Maccari, Sicilia Grillo Olli 2021

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