Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, is well known for being the home to Archimedes, one of the greatest minds in history, as well as the home to the Italian Mafia. Wines from Sicily aren’t nearly as well known, even though Sicily is one of the largest wine producers, with over 20 varietals.
Wines from Sicily: Zibibbo
One of Sicily’s most important white varietals, Zibibbo, is found on the island of Pantelleria, about halfway between Sicily and Tunisia. It was likely brought by Arab conquerors sometime in the late 700s or early 800s, making it one of the longest growing varietals in Italy. “Zibib” in Arabic means grape, or dried grape.
According to Snooth, Zibbibo grapes, “which are similar in aromatics to Muscat, are left on the vine till they partially ferment in the sun as they raisinate. The resulting wine, also known as Bianco di Pantelleria, has characteristics of fortified wines, but without the addition of brandy, and with lower alcohol. It is straw yellow to amber in color, and manages to be both dry and somewhat sweet at the same time.”
Zibbibo is also known as Muscat of Alexandria.
Zibbibo is perfect as an accompaniment to cheese and crackers on the terrazzo, or with a main fish or lobster dish, as are commonly found in Sicily.
Zibbibo is thought to be a precursor to Marsala, a famous fortified Sicilian wine.
Wines from Sicily: Nero d’Avola
Sicily’s flagship red wine, Nero d’Avola — named for its inky black-purple color and the south Sicilian town where it was primarily grown for centuries, has similar characteristics to Syrah, which grows in similar hot, dry climates.
Unlike Syrah, however, the little workhorse Nero (as it is often affectionately called) has less tannin, and a structure adaptable to different foods. This makes it nice as a stand-alone wine, but also contributed to its historical use as a supporting actor to French and other Italian wines.
Today, Nero is coming into its own. Boutique growers all over Sicily are increasingly producing Nero d’Avola as a standalone varietal. The result of this is that while Nero is building a name unto itself, the end result in the bottle is a bit mixed. If you are interested in exploring Nero d’Avola, you might want to do some research first — on Wine Enthusiast, for example, to find vintners with better reviews.
If you have spent time in Sicily and tried Zibbibo or Nero d’Avola, please share your experiences here.
Grazie!
As an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, I absolutely enjoy bringing a taste of the Napa wine country home to you one sip at a time. Whether you simply love to drink wine, seek a special personalized wine gift, or are in search of a new wine jobs opportunity as a wine consultant, feel free to contact me for a truly unique wine tasting experience!
Cheers,
Betty Kaufman, WineShop At Home
2 comments
In order:
Zibibbo (written with this spelling, not “Zibbibo” as later in the article) is aromatically similar to a Muscat because IT IS a Muscat.
With all the respect for Snooth, not necessarily berries are left on the vine (a late harvest): most of times they are picked and dried on hempen cloths at the sun, or even a part of raisins is added to the must fermenting. The fortified version is cheaper and less interesting by the quality point of view.
The “Bianco di Pantelleria” is just one of the many typologies of the DOC Pantelleria, and is not necessarily related to the production method reported by Snooth; actually it is the opposite (it indicates the dry wines).
The color is straw yellow only for the dry versions (grapes not dried, quite rare in the area). Usually the color is amber but brilliant.
The wines in general ARE SWEET!! In case the good ones (and there are several) balance the mellowness with a good acidity, so some way the sweetness is masked and the wine is wonderfully easy to drink.
I am not able to see the link between Zibibbo and Marsala. In case, probably in Pant. producers have started to make fortified wines after the example of Marsala.
Because of the success it has gained now You find Nero d’Avola everywhere in Sicily, but its real origin is the East side of the isalnd, especially the province of Siracusa.
Kind regards
Riccardo Margheri
Thanks for your great notes. The more I think about it, I can’t figure out the connection between Zibibbo and Marsala that Snooth referred to. I shouldn’t have quoted them, because it doesn’t make much sense. I didn’t think through that when I wrote this up. Boy, do I want to come to Sicily and try these wines!