I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Sicily Region

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food,Chardonnay. The best-known strictly Italian white
consider the Sicily region of southern Italy. Youvarieties are Catarratto, Grecanico, Inzolia, and
may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have funGrillo. The first three of these varieties are
on this fact-filled wine education tour.blended in the wine reviewed below.
Sicily is the football kicked by the Italian boot. It isWidely grown international red grape varieties
an island in the Mediterranean Sea located off theinclude Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
southwest tip of Italy. Sicily was first inhabitedThe best-known strictly Italian red varieties are
about ten thousand years ago. Agriculture andNero d'Avola, Frappato, and Nerello Mascalese.
animal raising date back well over four thousandBefore reviewing the Sicilian wine and cheese that
years. Its rulers have included the Greeks,we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine
Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, andstore and a local Italian food store, here are a
Spaniards, among others. This mountainous regionfew suggestions of what to eat with indigenous
is prone to volcanoes and earthquakes; in 1908 anwines when touring this beautiful region.
earthquake and subsequent tidal wave killed eightyStart with Insalata di Finocchi, Arance Sanguigne
thousand people in the coastal city of Messina.de Olive; Fennel, Blood Orange, and Olive Salad.
Sicily's population is about five million, with anAs a second course try Pollo con Prosciutto e
additional ten million people of Sicilian descentMelanzane Fritte; Braised Chicken with Proscuitto
around the world.and Fried Eggplants.
Agricultural products include wheat, barley, corn,For dessert indulge yourself with Cassata; Candied
olives, citrus fruit, almonds, and, of course, grapes.Fruit and Chocolate on Sponge Cake.
Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are prominentOUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have
in local cuisine. Sicily is Italy's second region forcommunicated with well over a thousand Italian
organic food. Many think that the Arabswine producers and merchants to help prepare
introduced pasta to Sicily, which subsequentlythese articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we
introduced it to the rest of Italy. Cattle, mules,taste and review are purchased at the full retail
donkeys, and sheep are raised. Sicily claims toprice.
have invented meatballs, The seas surroundingWine Reviewed
Sicily are bountiful, favorites include sardines, tuna,Tasca d'Almerita 'Regaleali' Blanco 2005 IGT Sicilia
and swordfish. Sicily is famous for desserts,12.5% alcohol about $13
including frozen treats made with snow fromWe'll start by quoting the marketing materials.
Mount Etna."Made with the local grapes Inzolia, Greciano, and
Sicilian heavy industry includes petro-chemicals,Catarratto, this wine is matured only in stainless
chemicals, mining, and electronics. Tourism is asteel and is not put through acid-softening
major factor in the Sicilian economy. Did youmalolactic fermentation. The producer chooses
know that the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento on thethis approach to retain the bright fruitiness and
Mediterranean Sea has some of the finest Greekracy crispness of the wine. Enjoy with steamed
ruins on earth?mussels, chicken or summer salads." And now for
Palermo, arguably the world's most conqueredmy thoughts on the wine.
city, is Sicily's capital with a population of a littleI first tasted this wine with broiled chicken burgers
under seven hundred thousand. It is a definiteaccompanied by a hot pepper relish, and red
tourist destination, with its numerous historicalpeppers. The wine was light, perhaps a bit
churches, museums, theaters, and Italy's largestintimidated by the relish. It was delicate, but not
botanical garden. Another urban tourist destinationweak. When I finished my glass with the red
is Syracuse, dating back to Ancient Greece. Thepeppers, the wine was quite fruity and sweet.
Greek writer Cicero described it as "The greatestI next tried this wine with fillet of sole poached in
Greek city and the most beautiful of them all."an onion sauce, accompanied by brown rice and
Both earthquakes and World War II causedokra in a tomato sauce. The wine tasted light and
heavy damage, but many of the most interestingcitrusy in the presence of the fish, and was more
sites have been reconstructed.powerful when facing the rice and the okra. I
Sicily devotes about a third of a million acres tofinished that meal with fresh pomegranate. The
grapevines, it ranks first among the 20 Italianwine became sweet and acidic, but did not take
regions. Its total annual wine production is abouton new flavors.
213 million gallons, also giving it first place. If SicilyIsola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep's
were an independent country, it would rankmilk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong
seventh in the world for wine production. Aboutsmelling and strong tasting, especially when you
54% of its wine production is red or rosécrunched into a peppercorn. Unfortunately, the
(only a bit of rosé), leaving 46% for white.cheese overpowered this relatively light wine. In
The region produces 19 DOC wines. DOC standscontrast, when paired with an Asiago cheese
for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, whichfrom northern Italy, the wine became quite full
may be translated as Denomination of Controlledbodied and fruity. Sometimes rules such as local
Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Only a littlewines with local cheeses are meant to be broken.
more than 2% of Sicilian wine carries the DOCI had a bit of wine left over and finished the
designation. Sicily is home to over three dozenbottle with out-of-season strawberries. They
major and secondary grape varieties, with morebrought out the wine's complexity and softness.
white than red varieties.Final verdict, in spite of its low official rating, I
Widely grown international white grape varietiesfound the wine pretty good. I would buy it again,
include Malvasia and to a lesser extent,but avoid pairing it with strong-tasting food.