When it comes to Italian vino, the usual suspects are usually the CABBs --> Chianti, Amarone, Brunellos, Barolos! Ask any Italian enthusiast and you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that majority of their collection would consist of these bandits. Besides plantings of new world varietals (Cabernet Sauvingnon, Chardonnay, etc) locally, many other Italian local varietals such as Trebbiano, Fiano, Greco, Refosco, Vermentino and many more usually goes unheard of.
As tourists, where would one visit? Scenery, history, buildings, architecture all leads to various parts of Europe. Italy, Sicily in particular- tourist spot for sceneries, archeological sites and more is booming not only agriculturally but also in its vinous form (and all vino-holics say, “Hallelujah!”). One more region to explore in our palate expansion!
From a wine enthusiast’s perspective, Brunello = Sangiovese, Piedmonte = Barolos, what about Sicily? Nero d’Avola! No doubt, Nero d’Avola has brought much attention to this part of the Italian wine economy; nevertheless many indigenous Greek grapes including other varietals are thriving well in the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Something out of the box this time for local noses…we have 2 wines, one Fiano, an important varietal from the Campania region in Southern Italy and a Merlot which is easily found in most wine regions around the globe.
Fiano is a native white wine varietal in Southern Italy that commonly entices drinkers with its great aromatics and strong flavour characteristics. The first wine this time is a Fiano, not from Campania but from Menfi, Sicily. Planeta, a rather well established producer in Sicily is not only focusing on the local varietals but has also brought in grapes from other regions to experiment with them within their local terroir, Sicily. To their credit, this varietal has managed to thrive and develop well in Sicily, following which into the bottles and unto our palates!
Planeta, Cometa (Fiano) IGT 2007
Firstly, gorgeously golden in colour!
Bouquet: Nice floral notes, hints of orange blossom and talc together with some burnt rubber characteristics while not missing the stone fruits as it opens up with air
Palate: Rich and creamy on the palate with well balanced low-medium acid profile showing stone fruits as it opens up while there is citrus-lemony freshness and mango notes on the mid palate plus apple-ey acetone coupled with rich complex buttery flavours with a slight hint of burnt wood on the finish
(A rather serious wine indeed which is rich yet balanced that continues to open and evolve with time…seriously screaming out for something rich like Carbonara pasta or a Gorgonzola Pear Walnut salad)
Merlot, on the other hand needs no further introduction...a varietal that compliments a Cabernet Sauvignon blend perfectly, as well as outshining many other wines independently on its own. It has managed to root deep and call home at almost every corner of the globe, starting from Bordeaux to Australia to Chile to mainland Italian Super Tuscans and now to the island of Sicily. This other bottle from Planeta is another serious stunner. Merlot has probably rooted itself here once again and found itself a new home in this region, particularly in Menfi and Sambuca di Sicilia.
Planeta, Merlot IGT 2006
Bouquet: Dark plums with dark flavours reminiscing black coloured berries with black spices, some black pepper plus undeniable heavy tobacco and ashtray smoke notes (in a positive manner)
Palate: Full bodied with a good structure, balanced with good concentration – showing dark plums, dark cherries, woody tobacco and whiffs of smoke before an underlying mid palate of dark spices and mild peppery notes. It’s rather smooth on the palate and finishes off with ripe tannins
Another food wine – bring out the beef!!!
(This reminds me, never judge a book by its cover…the label isn’t stunning but the wine has really caught my palate off guard! If only I had more in the cellar!)
Great Quality to Price Ratio (QPR) wines…it’s a steal if you can manage to lay your hands on these!!
Do share with me…What is the latest wine that has caught you off guard?!?
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Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!
Salute!