A pleasant experience with the Book Club members at the wine tasting at Marilyn’s.
The ladies, all wine lovers were interested in knowing more about what they drink.
First suggestion for everyone is to pay a bit of attention to what you have in the glass. Wine is not a beverage to quench your thirst but something to enjoy at every sip.
The wines tasted that evening, esclusively Sicilian, were a white, a red and a passito dessert wine.
The white wine tasted was a dry Zibibbo from the Ottoventi Winery.
Zibibbo is a native variety brought in Sicily by the Arabs during their 200-year domination of the island. Zibibbo is an aromatic variety usually used for dessert wines but vinified as a dry wine it gives interesting results. White flower and fruit scents combine elegantly with mineral aromas given by the sea breeze that reaches the vines.
The second wine is a red and elegant version of Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s most renomated wine. Depending on the winemaking style Nero d’Avola wines can be powerful or easy-drinking as this Ottoventi Punto 20. Fruity aromas of berries and cherries together with the balsamic notes enhance the nose. A sip and the mouth-filling flavour balances with the elegant rounded tannins. Great match with the medium-aged Caciocavallo cheese tasted.
Alluring at the sight the Ottoventi Scibà Passito wine with it’s golden yellow tonality. This dessert wine is also made with zibibbo grapes. The difference with the dry version starts from the harvesting of the grapes that takes place later, after the Sicilian sun gives its best. The grapes are left to dry for three months before vinification. The aromas are captivating, dried figs, honey, dates and in the mouth the texture is luscious and the flavour responds generously with the aroma.
The evening continues for the ladies with cheerful conversation, after all, this is what wine is about…conviviality and well-being. Cheers!