Islands

Question 1

Where is Marsala? What style wines are produced?

Answer 1

The western end of Sicily.

Fortified, and often sweet, but may be dry.

Question 2

White grapes of Sicily

Answer 2

Cattaratto, Carricante, Inzolia, Grillo, Grecanico, Zibbibo

Question 3

Red grapes of Sicily

Answer 3

Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Perricone

Question 4

Zibbibo is the same grape as what?

Answer 4

Muscat of Alexandria

Question 5

Nero d’Avola is also known as what?

Answer 5

Calabrese

Question 6

What is Sicily’s most planted red grape?

Answer 6

Nero d’Avola

Question 7

What is the sole DOCG of Sicily?

Answer 7

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG

Denominazione are Normale and Classico

Question 8

What is the encepagement of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG?

Answer 8

50-70% Nero d’Avola, 30-50% Frappato

Question 9

What are the soils of Cerasuolo di Vittoria?

Answer 9

Iron-rich clay over limestone

Question 10

What DOC is contiguous with Cerasuolo di Vittoria? Denominazione?

Answer 10

Vittoria
Rosso: 50-70% Nero d’Avola, 30-50% Frappato
Novello: 80% Nero d’Avola and Frappato
Varietal Calabrese, Frappato, Ansonica (Inzolia)

Question 11

What are the sweet wine DOC’s of Sicily?

Answer 11

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)

Question 12

Pantelleria: Denominazione

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Etna DOC: Styles

Answer 13

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, plus
Spumante: rosato or bianco, 60% Nerello Mascalese, plus

Question 14

Etna Rosso Riserva aging

Answer 14

48mos from 11/1, 12mos in wood

Question 15

Etna Spumante aging

Answer 15

Metodo Classico

18mos on the lees

Question 16

What other DOC is based on Nerello Mascalese?

Answer 16

Faro DOC
Rosso only
45-60% Nerello Mascalese, 15-30% Nerello Mantellato, 4-10% Nocera

Question 17

Which DOC covers the island of Sicily?

Answer 17

Sicilia DOC

Question 18

What is the hottest, driest region of Italy?

Answer 18

Sicily.

Question 19

What political event created the original demand for Marsala?

Answer 19

The War of the Spanish Succession (England v. France)

Question 20

What is Sicily’s other major grape-derived product?

Answer 20

Concentrated grape musts, made by vacuum-evaporating or cooking down unfermented juice.

Question 21

What is latifondo?

Answer 21

The system of land ownership in Italy, overturned by the Agrarian reforms of the 1950’s.

Question 22

What is mezzadria?

Answer 22

Sharecropping; more prevalent in the north than the south of Italy.

Question 23

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)?

Answer 23

Corvo-Duca di Salaparuta

Conte Tasca d’Almerita / Regaleali

Question 24

What caused the decline in Sicilian production in the 1990’s and 2000’s? And how far did it fall?

Answer 24

A shift from quantity-oriented viticulture and winemaking to a quality-oriented focus
40% between 1992 and 2002.

Question 25

Cataratto makes up what percentage of Sicily’s 330,000 acres?

Answer 25

60.00%

Question 26

What is the scirocco?

Answer 26

A hot, fierce wind that blows up across the Mediterranean from the Sahara, mainly affecting Sicily and Sardinia.

Question 27

What are the Aeolian Islands? What DOC encompasses them?

Answer 27

Salina, Lipari, and Vulcano

Malvasia delle Lipari DOC

Question 28

Which Aeolian Island produces the most wine?

Answer 28

Salina

Question 29

Which two sweet wine DOC’s of Sicily are essentially extinct?

Answer 29

Moscato di Siracusa & Moscato di Noto

Question 30

Principal grapes of Sardegna?

Answer 30

Cannonau (Grenache), Carignano (Carignan), Monica;

Vermentino, Nuragus

Question 31

What are the denominazione for Cannonau di Sardegna?

Answer 31

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

Question 32

What are the three subzones of Cannonau di Sardegna DOC?

Answer 32

Classico, Oliena, Jerzu, Capo Ferrato

Question 33

What is the sole DOCG of Sardegna?

Answer 33

Vermentino di Gallura DOCG

Question 34

What are the denominazione for Vermentino di Gallura DOCG?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What is the max elevation for Vermentino di Gallura DOCG?

Answer 35

500M

Question 36

What are the sweet wine DOC’s of Sardegna?

Answer 36

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)

Question 37

Compare Northern and Southern Sardinia in terms of elevation, and climate.

Answer 37

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

Question 38

What is the major DOC for Carignano, and where is it?

Answer 38

Carignano del Sulcis
Rosso/Riserva/Superiore, Rosato, Novello, Passito (270g/L must weight)
The southwestern corner of the island, directly affected by the scirocco

Question 39

Where is irrigation allowed in Sardinia?

Answer 39

Carignano del Sulcis

2x per year, not after August 15th

Question 40

How are Attilio Contini’s Vernaccia di Oristano wines made?

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

What is Mirto del Contadino?

Answer 41

Sardinian myrtle liqueur

Gestione Fattorie is exported to NYC