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Selezione Mirella Catarratto Pinot Grigio 2007
Lying just off the boot of Italy's toe, Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean.
With 160,000 hectares of vines it has enormous wine potential too, which over the last 10-15 years has slowly been realised.
Apart from the 'blip' year of 2007 (when severe Spring frosts cut yields down by 50%), Sicily produces double the amount of wine that Australia does. Like Australia, it specialises in single varietal wines, both from international grapes like Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Merlot and so on, but also characterful, indigenous varieties like you find in this Selezione Mirella, which uses Catarratto. This crisp white comes from a new cellar in the Gimbellina region in the west of the island, completed just in time for the 2007 vintage.
It's the property of Maurizio Biscardo, whose family estate lies in northern Italy, in Veneto.
However, he travels the length and breadth of Italy, searching out the best parcels of grapes.
He has been so impressed with Sicily, he has now invested in a cellar there and employed the young talented Mirella Lombardo as winemaker. Mirella has used a 60/40 blend of Catarratto with the very popular Pinot Grigio, a new variety for Sicily, but one that is fast catching on.
The first produces crisp, lemony fruit, while the Pinot Grigio fills out the wine with peach notes and spice.
Vendor: Laithwaites
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