Islands Flashcards
Where is Marsala? What style wines are produced?
The western end of Sicily.
Fortified, and often sweet, but may be dry.
White grapes of Sicily
Cattaratto, Carricante, Inzolia, Grillo, Grecanico, Zibbibo
Red grapes of Sicily
Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Perricone
Zibbibo is the same grape as what?
Muscat of Alexandria
Nero d’Avola is also known as what?
Calabrese
What is Sicily’s most planted red grape?
Nero d’Avola
What is the sole DOCG of Sicily?
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
Denominazione are Normale and Classico
What is the encepagement of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG?
50-70% Nero d’Avola, 30-50% Frappato
What are the soils of Cerasuolo di Vittoria?
Iron-rich clay over limestone
What DOC is contiguous with Cerasuolo di Vittoria? Denominazione?
Vittoria
Rosso: 50-70% Nero d’Avola, 30-50% Frappato
Novello: 80% Nero d’Avola and/or Frappato
Varietal Calabrese, Frappato, Ansonica (Inzolia)
What are the sweet wine DOC’s of Sicily?
Moscato di Noto DOC & Moscato di Siracusa DOC (southeast; east of Vittoria)
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC (off the coast, to the north)
Moscato di Pantelleria DOC & Passito di Pantelleria DOC (off the coast, southwest)
Pantelleria: Denominazione
Moscato
Moscato Spumante
Moscato Dorato: 250g/L must weight, 100 g/L RS, fortified
Moscato Liquoroso
Passito Liquoroso
Passito
Zibbibo Dolce: frizzante (min 1.7 atmospheres)
Bianco/Frizzante: 85% Zibibbo [all others are 100%]
Passito is not allowed for wines labeled Moscato
Etna DOC: Styles
Bianco: 60% Carricante, plus Catarratto Bianco Comune, Catarratto Bianco Lucido, plus
Bianco Superiore: 80% Carricante, plus
Rosato/Rosso/Riserva: 80% Nerello Mascalese, plus Nerello Mantellato (Cappuccio), plus
Spumante: rosato or bianco, 60% Nerello Mascalese, plus
Etna Rosso Riserva aging
48mos from 11/1, 12mos in wood
Etna Spumante aging
Metodo Classico
18mos on the lees
What other DOC is based on Nerello Mascalese?
Faro DOC
Rosso only
45-60% Nerello Mascalese
15-30% Nerello Cappuccio
5-10% Nocera
Which DOC covers the island of Sicily?
Sicilia DOC
What is the hottest, driest region of Italy?
Sicily.
What political event created the original demand for Marsala?
The War of the Spanish Succession (England v. France)
What is Sicily’s other major grape-derived product?
Concentrated grape musts, made by vacuum-evaporating or cooking down unfermented juice.
What is latifondo?
The system of land ownership in Italy, overturned by the Agrarian reforms of the 1950’s.
What is mezzadria?
Sharecropping; more prevalent in the north than the south of Italy.
What were the two biggest wine producers in Sicily in the latter part of the 20th century (accounting for nearly all production other than Marsala)?
Corvo-Duca di Salaparuta
Conte Tasca d’Almerita / Regaleali
What caused the decline in Sicilian production in the 1990’s and 2000’s? And how far did it fall?
A shift from quantity-oriented viticulture and winemaking to a quality-oriented focus
40% between 1992 and 2002.
Cataratto makes up what percentage of Sicily’s 330,000 acres?
60.00%
What is the scirocco?
A hot, fierce wind that blows up across the Mediterranean from the Sahara, mainly affecting Sicily and Sardinia.
What are the Aeolian Islands? What DOC encompasses them?
Salina, Lipari, and Vulcano
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC
Which Aeolian Island produces the most wine?
Salina
Which two sweet wine DOC’s of Sicily are essentially extinct?
Moscato di Siracusa & Moscato di Noto
Principal grapes of Sardegna?
Cannonau (Grenache), Carignano (Carignan), Monica;
Vermentino, Nuragus
What are the denominazione for Cannonau di Sardegna?
Rosso/Riserva: Riserva aged 2 years, 6mos in wood
Rosato
Passito: min 50g/L, aged 1 yar
Liquoroso: Secco (max 10g/L) and Dolce (min 50g/L), aged 1 year, 6mos in wood
Classico: 90% (v. 85%), aged 2 years, 1 in wood
What are the four subzones of Cannonau di Sardegna DOC?
Classico
Oliena
Jerzu
Capo Ferrato
What is the sole DOCG of Sardegna?
Vermentino di Gallura DOCG
What are the denominazione for Vermentino di Gallura DOCG?
95% Vermentino, plus
Vermentino: max RS 4g/L
Vermentino Superiore: max RS 5g/L
Vermentino Frizzante
Vermentino Spumante: if Metodo Classico, 9mos on the lees
Vermentino Passito
Vermentino VT
What is the max elevation for Vermentino di Gallura DOCG?
500M
What are the sweet wine DOC’s of Sardegna?
Moscato di Sardegna: Bianco, Passito, da Uve Stramature (overripe grapes), Spumante (50-95g/L RS)
Caligari: Malvasia/Spumante/Riserva, Moscato (also Monica/Riserva, Vermentino/Superiore)
Moscato di Scorso-Sennori: Bianco, Liquoroso (min RS 60g/L), Passito, Spumante (50-95G/L RS), nearly extinct
Malvasia di Bosa: Bianco (Amabile/Dolce), Riserva, Spumante, Passito
Vernaccia di Oristano: Bianco, Superiore, Riserva, Liquoroso (fortified POST fermentation)
Compare Northern and Southern Sardinia in terms of elevation, and climate.
North: high elevation (up to 1500ft), affected by cool breezes from the north, large diurnal shift.
South: hotter, flatter, and more affected by the scirocco
What is the major DOC for Carignano, and where is it?
Carignano del Sulcis
Rosso/Riserva/Superiore, Rosato, Novello, Passito (270g/L must weight)
The southwestern corner of the island, directly affected by the scirocco
Where is irrigation allowed in Sardinia?
Carignano del Sulcis
2x per year, not after August 15th
How are Attilio Contini’s Vernaccia di Oristano wines made?
Picked late and put into barrels at 90% capacity; the wine ferments under a voile. Once the fermentable sugars are gone, the yeasts metabolize oxygen and alcohol as evaporation takes place. Aged a minimum of 6 years, with no topping up.
What is Mirto del Contadino?
Sardinian myrtle liqueur
Gestione Fattorie is exported to NYC
