The Grillo grape was historically identified for its main position in Marsala, the Sicilian candy fortified wine, although the type has broadly fallen out of favor in recent times. However Grillo has been getting extra consideration recently as a crisp, dry white wine that’s good for the seafood of Sicily and past.
In actual fact, Grillo is arguably one of many island’s three most vital indigenous white varieties. The others are Carricante, cultivated within the shadows of Mount Etna on Sicily’s japanese coast and the cornerstone of the more and more fashionable Etna Biancos, and Catarratto, probably the most planted white selection, which can be utilized in Marsala and plenty of different white wines.
Grillo is grown just about all around the island, with a focus on the western facet, and also you’ll discover the wines beneath the island-wide Sicilia denomination or DOC, often with the identify of the grape (fortunately) on the label as nicely.
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Grillos are marked by aromas of white flowers, herbs, citrus, particularly grapefruit and orange, and stone fruits, and sometimes end on the palate with a contact of bitterness that’s extra attention-grabbing than off-putting. With their racy acidity, they’re nice summer season wines for fish and different lighter fare.
As Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson level out in “The World Atlas of Wine,” “Grillo is especially good at retaining its acidity within the harshest warmth and its saline, mineral dry whites are more and more valued.”
Whereas natural notes are a attribute of the wines, the higher ones even have pretty fruit that mixes seamlessly with the natural and floral components.
The wines under have been largely aged in chrome steel or concrete tanks. One of many Grillos I sampled (not included right here) was aged for a number of months in acacia barrels and was dominated by the wooden. For Grillo, it appears to me, the much less barrel ageing the higher.
Listed below are six of one of the best Grillos from Sicily:
Feudo Montoni Sicilia Grillo ‘Timpa’ 2023
This fashionable Grillo from a historic vineyard presents the range’s signature floral and natural aromas together with white peach and a touch of lime. The grapes are grown organically, and on the palate you’ll discover a wealthy mouthfeel with a barely creamy layer and contact of honey. The wine is aged on the lees in cement tanks for six months. One key to getting the complete fragrant and taste profile of those wines: don’t drink them too chilly.
Worth: $23
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Tenuta Rapitalà Sicilia Grillo ‘Viviri’ 2023
Grown in clay, pebbles, and sand on the big Rapitalà property, this first-rate Grillo has good complexity, exhibiting aromas and flavors of inexperienced apple pores and skin, cantaloupe, lemon-lime, and a touch of strawberry. Minerals and touches of spice and vanilla persist on the lengthy end. The wine is aged in stainless-steel vats. It’s additionally an under-$20 discount.
Worth: $15
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Valle dell’Acate Sicilia Grillo ‘Zagra’ 2023
There’s a touch of spearmint together with the white peach and almond notes on this wine. Touches of honey, salt, and lime emerge on the mid-palate and lengthen onto the lengthy end. The vineyards are farmed organically in sandy-clay soils. It’s additionally one other distinctive worth.
Worth: $20
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Vino di Anna ‘Palmento’ Vino Bianco
This notable mix is 20 p.c Grillo from the Marsala area within the northwest nook of the island; 40 p.c Carricante from the north slopes of Etna, together with 30 p.c Inzolia and 10 p.c Catarratto. The assorted grapes have been fermented individually in giant oak and chestnut barrels and stainless-steel tanks, then blended and aged on the lees. The result’s a memorable wine that provides notes of apricot, white peach, and inexperienced apple accented by moist stone, saline, and baking spices. A touch of lemon meringue emerges on the creamy end.
Worth: $30
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Brugnano Sicilia Grillo ‘Lunario’ 2024
White peach, candied lemon, a wisp of vanilla, and delicate herbs are the hallmarks of this wonderful Grillo, which finishes on the palate with a refined minerality. It’s aged with out oak however has a pleasant richness from 4 months on the lees. It jogs my memory of Chablis. (The ‘23 classic is accessible right here.)
Worth: $33
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Tenuta Regaleali Sicilia Grillo ‘Cavallo delle Destiny’ 2024
Plenty of herbs on the nostril of this Grillo, together with citrus, minerals, and spice. Inexperienced apple, orange pith, and white peach flavors observe with a protracted end. It’s fermented and aged on the lees in stainless-steel tanks. It’s yet one more notable under-$20 worth.
Worth: $18
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Subsequent up: Pinot Noirs from New York’s Finger Lakes
