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Mary Taylor Clara Sala Sicilia Bianco 2021
Siciliy, Italy
Retail: $17.95 | Sale: $16.16
This dry, warm and sunny island has been at the center of Mediterranean winemaking for 4,000 years, but most refined by Greek viticulture practices. On the west side of the island, in the commune of Mazara del Vallo (famous for its shrimp), you find Annamaria and Clara Sala – 2 sisters who run the Tenuta di Gorghi Tondi, adjacent to Preola Lake and Gorghi Tondi Unesco World Heritage site - an area of Mediterranean karst lakes forming high mineral content bodies of water. The Sala family have been farming their vineyards here for four generations, working with native grapes only. Grillo is one of the island’s indigenous varieties and was used as a base in Marsala wine which was widely exported in our parents’ generation. Grillo (aka Riddu), however, hails for thousands of years, being a favorite of Julius Caesar. The Sala sisters have a steadfast commitment to organic farming and showcasing the potential of their spectacular terroir. 100% Grillo
Vina Maitia
Cenatiempo Rosato 2021
Origin: Isola d’Ischia, Italy
Retail: $23.95 | Sale: $21.56
Cenatiempo, founded in 1945, is a very small winery located on Isola d'Ischia, which is about a 45 minute ferry ride out of Porto di Massa in Naples. Pasquale and Frederica Cenatiempo work 14 vineyards totaling 4ha in 5 communes: Ischia, Forio, Laccoameno, Serrara, and Barano. Ischia has a long history in winemaking: The island received its first DOC in 1966, just three years after the classification system was introduced in Italy. The first DOC was based on blends of grapes, which was the common practice on the island. DOCs for single-varietal wines were established in 1993. Pasquale works with many grapes that are not commonly known such as Biancolella. Cenatiempo wines are truly distinctive examples of their varietals and the island from whence they came.
Aglianico with other indigenous varieties
Le Marie Colombe Barbera 2019
Origin: Piedmont, Italy
Retail: $23.95 | Sale: $21.56
Le Marie is a small, family-run farm and winery in Barge, which is in NW Piemonte near the French border. Barge sits at the foot of Monte Viso and Monte Bracco. The vineyards sit between 400-450M, some of which in the 1930s and survived WWII. The winery, like many, is in transition between generations as Valerio’s children, Simona and Daniele, take over. The winery was founded in 2000. They have 25 acres in 14 plots. This wine is a deep ruby red color with garnet, bright, very intense and of great consistency. The nose is fruity (blackberries, blueberries), floral (rose hips, violet) and spicy (liquorice, green pepper). It is a balanced full-bodied wine.
100% Barbera