Rare Wines. The bridge between Calabria and Sicily is called Nerello Mascalese

Jun 29 2022, 08:28 | by Gambero Rosso
Two regions linked by a variety that in recent years has been discovered in all its complexity, capable of translating nuanced and fascinating registers

In the world of wine, the bridge over the Strait of Messina is called nerello mascalese. Late ripening, little colour and structure, lots of flavour. That's the identikit of a variety, increasingly appreciated for its aromatic finesse, which links Sicily and Calabria. On this journey we identified two very small vineyards that represent something very original. The first is on the Sila mountains, the territory of Rovito is historically linked to the grape variety, precisely in northern Calabria it expresses a unique register of flowers and citrus sensations. The work of rediscovering the grape once much more widespread in the area has been carried out by the virtuous Tenuta del Travale, Eleuteria is a wonderful wine. From the Cosenza area, we move to Etna, the reference area for the grape variety. Within the offer of a well-known winery such as Firriato, there is a worthy project that requires a narrative in itself: Signum Aetne, the Symbol of Etna. It is a 150-year-old grape variety that dodged phylloxera, lending a red that stands out stylistically for character and definition. The two wines invite us to travel in the wake of a historical byline.

Eleuteria 2019

Tenuta del Travale
Calabria
red
Score: 
94
/100
VINEYARD | Located in the Municipality of Rovito, an area of Calabria with luxuriant vegetation, the vineyards are surrounded by holm oaks, beech forests, prickly pears and olive trees as well as typical local essences. Tenuta del Travale is located in a high hilly area (520 m above sea level), on a buttress of the Sila mountains characterised by ferocious temperature variations between day and night. The small two-hectare vineyard extends over gentle terraces, embracing two sides, one with a south-west exposure and one south-east facing. To the east, the imposing Sila plateau, which reaches almost 2,000 metres, protects from the north winds, and to the west, just under 30 kilometres, is the Tyrrhenian Sea. PERSONS | The soul of...
Read more

Etna Rosso Signum Aetnae Ris. 2014

Firriato
Sicily
red
Score: 
97
/100
VINEYARD | It is a 2.5 hectare vineyard located at 650 metres above sea level planted mainly with nerello mascalese. The soil is sandy and loamy with a volcanic matrix, rich in complex minerals and with high drainage capacity. It is an Etna alberello vineyard that is carried out organically; in addition to the nerello mascalese there are other ancient varieties. The plants per hectare are 1,500, we are on the eastern side of the volcano, in the territory of the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia. PERSONS | Salvatore and Vinzia Di Gaetano began their adventure in the world of wine in the early 1980s in the Trapani area, but it was not long before they fell in love with...
Read more
Find out all rare wines
selected by Gambero Rosso
cross linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram