Sicilia Flashcards
how long has grape growing existed in Sicilia?
Grape growing and winemaking has existed since 2nd millennium bc
t or f: Sicilia is one of the 5 autonomous regions of italy
true
What is the largest region in Italy?
Sicilia
What is the largest island in the mediterranean?
Sicilia
Almost two thirds of sicilia is covered by what topography?
Hills
What are the 3 important rivers of Sicilia?
Salso(imera meridonale)
Simeto
Belice
Describe is the climate of Sicilia?
Mediterranean, semi-continental in the northeast where there is the Sicilian Apennines, mt etna
Coolest in northeast, southern and western areas are affected by the southeasterly warm african sirocco wind
Western and southern areas experience very little rainfall, drought is a problem in summer. Most of the rainfall is in the mountains
Which italian region has some of the highest overall temperatures in all of italy?
Sicilia
In which part of sicilia would you find limestone and calcareous-clay soils
the western and south eastern corner
In which part of sicilia would you find metamorphic and igneous rocks
northeastern corner
in what part of sicilia would you find marine clay sedimentary soils?
in the upper Belice river valley
in what part of sicilia would you find Clay, sandstone and marl?
in the area stretching from alcamo to the madonie mountain range in the northwest
in what part of sicilia would you find layers of dark lava, ash and volcanic debris
around Etna
Which part of sicilia is dominated by white grapes?
the western part
which part of sicilia is dominated by red grapes?
Eastern part
what is the most widely planted variety in Sicilia?
Cataratto Bianco
What does the name “catarratto” refer to?
abundant yields
What are the two main biotypes of Cataratto?
Catarratto bianco commune
Catarratto bianco lucido (considered the higher quality)
Why is Catarratto bianco lucido considered the higher quality biotype?
Smaller berries
Lower sugar
Higher acid levels
Where are most of the plantings of Cataratto concentrated in Sicilia?
in the western portion for marsala
Which grape became the principal grape for marsala in the early 20th century because it is higher quality?
Grillo
Grillo is a natural crossing of which two grapes?
muscat of alexandria (zibibbo) and Cataratto Bianco
what was the style of wine made from Grillo before the 80s?
dry oxidative style
What does grillo mean in sicilian dialect?
“Grilli’ is sicilian dialect for pips or seeds
Until the 80s Grillo was made into dry oxidative styles, what is the style now?
full-bodied, textured, aromatic and fresh
What winemaking techniques have resulted in Grillo wines that have a passionfruit, grassy character similar to sauvignon blanc?
Cool fermentation and highly reductive winemaking
Where are most of the plantings of inzolia located in siclia?
in the west of the island
What was inzolia historically used for and what is it used for now?
Historically used for marsala but is now more commonly used as a dry still wine
Why must picking be timed appropriately for Inzolia?
Because it only has medium acid
Where does the name Zibibbo come from?
Potentially comes from the arabic word zabib which means raisin
Why is zibibbo suitable for passitos?
Big clusters and thick skins
Where are most of the plantings of zibibbo located?
on the island of pantelleria
Where is the home of carricante in sicilia?
on mt etna
Why do growers tend to harvest carricante as late as possible?
to curb the acidity, carricante is very high in malic acid
what winemaking technique was discovered and used on carricante in the 18th century
growers would leave the wine on its lees into spring to encourage malolactic fermentation to soften the acid
where is malvasia di lipari grown?
Grown on the volcanic archipelago of the aeolian islands
What is malvasia di lipari generally used for?
passitos
Calabrese is a grape also known as?
Nero d’Avola
Where does nero d’Avola orginate from?
Originates from the coastal town of Avola in the southeastern corner of sicilia
What does nero d’Avola require in the vineyard and what vineyard techniques are used to manage this?
Needs warm growing conditions, often trained close to the ground with alberello
Where does the name Nerello Mascalese come from?
Name comes from Mascali, a town in the eastern foothills of Mt Etna
Where does the name Nerello Mascalese come from?
Name comes from Mascali, a town in the eastern foothills of Mt Etna
is Nerello Mascalese early, mid or late ripening?
Late
Where has frappato been historically grown?
around vittoria in southeast sicilia
What are the characteristics of wines from Frappato?
Perfumed, Light body and gently tannic
Historically, what was the most common training system in sicilia and why?
Alberello
Created high alcohol wines with good concentration, great for bulk wine and marsala
What training method was adopted in the 1950s in sicilia and why? what has it been replaced by now?
Tendone was then adopted in the 50s to give higher yields
Now most have been replaced with Guyot and Cordone Speronato
What region of italy has the largest area under vine?
Sicilia
Where are most of the vineyards concentrated in Sicilia?
in the western half
What are the region adiministrative division of sicilia and their geographical locations on the island?
Val demone(northeast)
Val di noto (southeast)
Val di mazara (western sicily)
What are the two important docs of Northeast Sicilia (Val Demone)
Etna and Faro
What does ‘contrada’ mean?
‘Contrada’ is a term for a neighbourhood, used to identify vineyards instead of the individual vineyard name
What is the climate of etna doc?
Cool continental climate due to high attitude, huge diurnal range
Which DOC receives more rainfall than most of sicilia?
Etna
What part of Etna DOC is the wettest part?
the eastern side of the volcano
t or f: etna has some of the lowest vineyards in Italy and Europe
false, it has some of the highest
where are the red and white grapes planted in the etna doc?
Nerello Mascalese is planted in the northern part
White grapes are at home in the southern part
What is the vineyard topography in etna?
Vineyards are often on terraces
What is the training method used in Etna DOC and why?
trained with alberello on individual stakes
Low training to promote better ripening (Soils are dark, helping to radiate heat back to the vines)
what are the soils of Etna DOC?
Volcanic soils with a sub soil of lava
What are the grapes used in etna doc
predominantly nerello mascalese, with cappuccio making up the remainder if it is used
What are the grapes used in etna bianco?
Carricante dominant with cataratto bianco making up the remainder if it is used
What are the requirements of Etna Bianco superiore?
Must come from the village of Milo and be predominantly carricante
What is the oak usage for etna rosso?
Oak is often used, small oak is common but some producers use botti
What are the vinification and maturation techniques used for Etna Bianco?
bianco is vinified in stainless steel, some producers use large botti for maturation
What is the requirement of contrada appearing on the label?
Contrada can appear on the label only if all the grapes come from that contrada
Which produced resuscitated the Faro DOC in the 1990s?
Palari estate
What is the climate of the Faro DOC?
Mediterranean with lots of rainfall, greatly impacted by winds
Which region of sicilia has Most of the vineyards lie along the steep foothills of the peloitani range on the ionian and tyrrhenian coasts
Faro
What is the soil of Faro DOC?
Soil is predominantly alluvial with a sub soil of schist,
more sand on the ionian coast
more clay along the tyrrhenian coast.
other than etna, what is the only other winegrowing area where nerrello mascalese and cappuccio are considered traditional?
Faro DOC
What are the 3 grapes that make up the blend of Faro DOC?
nerello mascalese, nerello cappuccio and nocera
What are the two important DOCs of Western sicilia
Marsala
Contea di Sclafani
what is the most productive winegrowing area in sicilia?
Marsala
how was marsala discovered?
Discovered by John Woodhouse in the 1770s, a merchant from liverpool, who was forced to dock at Marsala on a voyage. Tasted the local wine, then called vino perpetuo, and was reminded of madeira, saw the opportunity for it a product and sent a bunch to england.
Wine was well received and woodhouse decided to invest in the wine, renaming it Marsala.
How did marsala become fortified?
To stabilise the wine during the voyage to england, grape spirit was added
What events of the 19th century led to the Italian government’s decision in 1931 to officially delimit the Marsala wine growing area, well before the DOC system, to guarantee authenticity?
Phyollxera devasated the local vineyards causing the producers to buy shitty bulk wine to use instead, lowering the quality of the wine and the loss of its typicity. This also led to great adulteration and manipulation of the wines
After world war 2 what events led to the damaging of the Marsala’s reputation?
After the declining interest in fortified wines after wwII, producers created Marsala Speciali(marsala flavoured with different food stuffs) to diversify their portfolio. This ended with the consumers viewing marsala as more of a cooking ingredient than a wine to be consumed, seriously damaging the reputation of the product
What efforts were made after 1984 to improve the reputation of Marsala?
In 1984, in an effort to regain marsala’s reputation, the winegrowing area was restricted, more stringent production rules were introduced and the highly controversial marsala speciali was eliminated from the DOC
What is the vineyard topography of Marsala?
Vineyards are on flat coastal areas and low elevation hills
What is the climate of Marsala?
Fully mediterranean, one of the driest and warmest areas in Sicilia
What are the 4 grape varieties used in marsala?
Grillo
Cataratto
Inzolia
Damaschino
Describe grillo in relation to Marsala
Considered the most important grape
Enhances the texture and aroma, develops high sugar levels(particularly when trained with alberello)
Best examples of marsala are based on grillo
Describe grillo in relation to Marsala
Considered the most important
Enhances the texture and aroma, develops high sugar levels(particularly when trained with alberello)
Best examples of marsala are based on grillo
Describe Cataratto in relation to Marsala
Favoured for its high yields
Requires more alcohol during fortification, because it has less than grillo
Has a tendency to oxidise, adding oxidative aromas and colour
Detail Inzolia in relation to Marsala
Contributes perfume
Widely used before plantings were ravaged by oidium in the 19th century
Detail Damaschino in relation to Marsala
Very minor role, formerly used for it’s high yields post phylloxera
What are the grape varieties used for marsala rubino?
Nero d’Avola, Perricone and Nerello Mascalese
define conciato
in marsala, The process of adding grape spirit, mosto cotto (cooked grape must), sifone (fortified grape must) and mosto concentrato(concentrated grape must) to the base wine
Describe the process of Marsala Vergine
Base wine of white grapes
Fortified with grape spirit(acquavite) and/or ethyl alcohol
Matured in partially filled oak or cherry barrels
Minimum 5 year ageing (riserva 10 years)
Final wine must have less than 4% sugar and 18% abv
What style of marsala is considered the most complex and authentic style of marsala, even though it has the smallest production?
Marsala Vergine
in which two Marsala styles can the vintage appear on the label?
Vergine and Superiore
What does the term ‘soleras’ mean?
another name for Marsala Vergine
Describe the process of marsala superiore
Base wine
Conciato
18% ABV
Matured in wood barrels for at least two years(Riserva after 4)
Marsala superiore makes about what % of production?
20%
Which marsala style makes up 80% of production?
Marsala Fine
What marsala style is often used as a cooking ingredient?
Marsala Fine
What is the abv of marsala fine?
17.5%
What are the colour and sweetness labelling terms used on marsala?
colour: oro, ambra, rubino
sweetness: secco, semisecco and dolce
Describe the climate of Contea di Sclafani DOC
Continental influence due to inland position, altitude and a more mountainous topography
In what area of Contea di Sclafani DOC would you find clay and sand with marine deposits?
Lower elevation areas
In what area of Contea di Sclafani DOC would you find sandstone, marl and limestone?
Higher altitude areas
What are the principal grapes of Contea di Sclafani DOC?
Nero d’Avola, Perricone and cataratto
What are the two wines permitted in Contea di Sclafani DOC?
a rosso and bianco
What are the 3 important DOC/Gs of southeastern sicilia(val di noto)
Cerasuolo di Vitorria DOCG
Vittoria DOC
Eloro DOC
Who founded the town of Vittoria?
Town of vittoria was founded in the 17th century by the countess of modica, Vittoria Colonna Henriquez
How did vines become so prolific in Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG?
Countess of modica, Vittoria Colonna Henriquez, offered the first 75 settlers two hectares of land each, but 1 of those hectares had to be planted to vines
Describe the climate of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG?
Fully mediterranean, hot and arid
Irrigation is permitted under extreme conditions
In which area of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG would you find high sand content atop limestone bedrock?
soils close to the sea
In which area of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG would you find calcareous clay?
soils inland and at higher elevations
What Sicilian appellation is known for its pockets of terra rossa soil?
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
Terra rossa soil is ideal for which variety?
Frappato
What grapes make up the blend in Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG? How does the proportions of each variety affect the final wine?
Blend is usually Nero d’Avola dominant with frappto
more frappato means a lighter and more fragrant wine
more nero d’Avola means deeper colour, richer and fuller but less aromatic
What are the five different wines produced under the Vittoria DOC?
Varietal Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Inzolia
Rosso (same blend as DOCG but less strict)
novello, based on nero d’avola and/or frappato
Which DOC is the traditional home of Nero d’Avola?
Eloro DOC
Which sicilian appellation is located in the Southeastern corner of sicilia, sandwiched between the ionian sea to the east and the sicilian channel to the south?
Eloro Doc
How did Eloro DOC become well known?
Area became well known in the late 19th century, particularly the village of pachino, for the production of vino da taglio made from Nero d’Avola
What is the vineyard topography of Eloro DOC?
flat coast and low-elevation hills
What is the climate of Eloro DOC?
Fully mediterranean, one of the warmest and driest areas of the entire island
irrigation is permitted under extreme conditions
which sicilian DOC has dark , calcareous soils with pockets of high clay content?
Eloro DOC
What is the training method employed in Eloro DOC?
Alberello
Describe the two wines produced in Eloro DOC
varietal nero d’avola
subzone of pachino, nero d’avola coming from the village of pachino, stricter rules
Which island is nickname the perla nera(black pearl)?
Pantelleria
Which sicilian island has a history of strong arab influence?
Pantelleria
How did Pantelleria come to producing sweet wines?
Originally a centre of raisins and table grapes, then switched production to grapes for sweet wines after facing too much competition and consumer preference shift
What is the vineyard topography of Pantelleria?
vines are planted on terraces
What is the soils of pantelleria?
Well drained sandy soils and porous volcanic rock
Describe the climatic conditions of Pantelleria
Fully mediterranean, strong winds blow 300 days per year
What is the impact of the winds in pantelleria?
Winds can dehydrate the vines, interrupt ripening and reduce the crop
what is done to combat the winds in pantelleria?
vines are planted in conche(shallow holes) and trained very low to the ground, protecting the vines from winds and collects moisture. Yields are very low and grapes reach high sugar levels
What is the most reknowned wine made in pantelleria?
Passito di Pantelleria made from Zibibbo
Describe the process of making passito di Pantelleria
First harvest of grapes are dried within stenditoi(open air spots often enclosed by stone walls)
Second harvest is carried out between 1-4 weeks later can those grapes are immediately vinified, during the fermentation, the passito grapes are added in intervals to the must
Apart from Passito di Pantelleria, what is the other wine made there?
Moscato di Pantelleria is a sweet wine made from freshly harvested grapes, sometimes when the grapes are overripe, lighter, fresher style.
What DOC covers all of the aoelian islands?
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC
Who made Malvasia delle lipari popular in the 1980s?
Carlo Hauner
What are the soils in the Aoelian islands?
Sandy soils composed of volcanic debris
What two grapes make up the blend of Malvasia delle Lipari?
Predominantly Malvasia di Lipari with a small percentage of Corinto nero
What are the two wines produced in Malvasia delle Lipari DOC, and how are they made?
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC Passito is made via appasimento
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC is a sweet wine made from late harvested grapes
