Wines Inspired from Italy

Planeta Chardonnay.

There is a new weekly flight from Leeds Bradford to Catania in Sicily. It provides easy access to Europe’s biggest Island, which is home to crystal clear seas, fantastic food and great wine.

And it is that wine that will be the focus of these latest reviews. A sunny and humid week in the beautiful town of Taormina presented the opportunity to sample the best the island has to offer.

The Planeta Chardonnay is grown in the region of Menfi, where the vineyards tumble down hills into the sea. You can taste some of that saltiness and minerality in the wine.

The wine has a wonderful balance and competes with the best France has to offer. It offers big fruit on the nose and is creamy in the mouth with strong flavours of peach and apple. The finish has vanilla, cream and a little spiciness.

It’s easy to understand how this wine became a Sicilian icon and an example of what Sicilian wineries can do. The Planeta family opened its first winery in 1994. Today, it operates six boutique wineries spread across five different regions, four of which only produce organically grown grapes and wines. Since 2012, all wines have adhered to the stringent SOStain sustainability guidelines.

The wine paired well with seafood pasta but could be enjoyed on its own, lightly chilled, it’s perfect for a summer's day.

Available online or from Majestic from £24.99 a bottle.

Destro Isolanuda.

Grown in the rich soil of Mount Etna, Destro Isolanuda is a great example of a Sicilian white that offers complex flavours with a vibrancy that reflects the wildness of the region.

On the nose, the wine offers strong citrus and floral notes. On the palate, it has apples and apricot before a long mineral finish. While the golden colour is reminiscent of a classic chardonnay, it taste is more akin to a Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine is 100% Carricante, an ancient grape variety from eastern Sicily. It is thought to have been growing on Etna for over 1,000 years. Usually, Carricante wines feature a variety of cooling herbal flavours like mint and anise along with crisp citrus scents like lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. The best samples also have an undertone of mineral, slatey flavour.

It will pair well with shellfish or sushi.

Available online from around £20 a bottle.

Murgo Tenuta San Michele Etna Bianco

Sometimes there is nothing better than a cold beer. Immortalised by the 1950s war film Ice Cold in Alex, John Mills stumbles into a bar after surviving the desert and takes a long drink of a cold beer with a look of relief and joy.

I had a similar experience to John Mills after surviving a few hours on a sunbed. Sitting in a restaurant next to the sea with the waves rolling in and the sun beating down, the first glass of this fabulous wine didn’t last long.

Tenuta San Michele Etna Bianco has the minerality you expect from a wine grown on Mount Etna but offers a surprising richness and complexity.

On the nose, the wine has strong citrus notes with fresh cut grass. The crisp green fruit is balanced with honey and vanilla before a long balanced slate finish.You could compare it to a good quality Pouilly- Fuisse.

The historic Tenuta San Michele estate is located 500 meters above sea level with vineyards that look out over Sicily down to the Ionian sea. The vineyards include 25 hectares that dedicated to the production of Etna DOC wines

Available online from around £10.

Our wine enthusiast Nathan lives in Leeds and runs PR and marketing company Campfire PR
https://campfirepr.com/