Acclaimed producer Planeta is braced for a packed Vinitaly, where it will be showcasing some of the latest developments from its vineyards across Sicily.
A quietly integral part of the island’s quality renaissance, Spadafora should be better known in the U.S. for its Syrah, Nero d’Avola and Grillo. Wine Spectator contributing editor Robert Camuto visits a family winery currently flying under the radar
At his family’s winery, he gained global respect for Sicily’s terroir by trying international grapes, then built on that with outstanding native grape wines
“We want to bring back tradition and to come up with a wine that speaks about Sicily in a different way – it’s what the market wants, you need a wine with a point of difference, there’s no point in producing just another wine,” says Stefano Girelli
Last month six Sicilian grape varieties were added to the Italian National Register of Grape Varieties, ones that were believed to have died out years ago. As with many similar ampelographical discoveries, a single vine of each variety was found in a domestic garden or in desolate terrain – a high mountain slope, for example. One of the varieties was white, Recunu, while the other five were red: Inzolia Nera, Lucignola, Orisi, Usirioto and Vitatolo.