Tasca d'Almerita

The Sallier de la Tour winery has been owned by the Counts Tasca since 2009, making it the fifth company that complements and characterises the diversity and professionalism of what is probably Sicily's most famous winery. Aromatic bouquet of sweet cherries and wild berries. Clear on the palate with a beautiful fruit centre and a radiant freshness, appealing finish. A beautiful Syrah that impressively demonstrates Sicily's potential for international grape varieties. SUPERIORE.DE

The Sallier de la Tour winery has been owned by the Counts Tasca since 2009, making it the fifth winery that complements and characterises the diversity and professionalism of what is probably Sicily's most famous winery. At Sallier de la Tour, the focus is on the Grillo, Inzolia, Syrah and Nero d'Avola grape varieties. Light yellow in colour with green reflections. Orange zest, meadow flowers and notes of melon and herbs on the nose. Fresh and light on the palate, again fruity, with a fine almond flavour. A delicious classic for light Mediterranean cuisine and warm summer evenings. SUPERIORE.DE

Straw yellow with greenish reflections. Fresh nose of yellow fruits and meadow herbs. On the palate, notes of citrus enveloped by a fine acid wire and spice. The trendy white grape variety Grillo is simply fun in a glass. The Sallier de la Tour winery has been owned by the Counts Tasca since 2009, making it the fifth winery that complements and characterises the diversity and professionalism of what is probably Sicily's most famous winery. At Sallier de la Tour, the focus is on the Grillo, Inzolia, Syrah and Nero d'Avola grape varieties. SUPERIORE.DE

Sicily and rosé – that sounds like a beach bar and a sea view at first. Not here. Tenuta Regaleali is located in the heart of the island, on a wooded high plateau of the Contea di Sclafani, around 500 metres above sea level, far away from any coastline. Large temperature fluctuations between day and night, calcareous-clay soils, vines with a history. The Tasca d'Almerita family has been growing Nerello Mascalese here for this rosé since the 1970s – a grape variety that is unrivalled in Sicily: Delicately fruity, lively, with a natural floral fragrance that gave the wine its name. The roses that have always grown on Regaleali are the inspiration. Gentle pressing, fermentation in steel at 14°C, three months of ageing, fruit and freshness.

For over 190 years, the Tasca d'Almerita family has been running the Regaleali estate – deep in the heart of Sicily, on the hills between Palermo and Caltanissetta, where the island shows its true character: tart, warm, incorruptible. This white wine has been the flagship of the house for over 60 vintages – and it is something like the most honest business card that Sicily can issue. Inzolia, Catarratto, Grecanico – three indigenous grape varieties of the island, rounded off with a touch of Chardonnay – grow at the higher altitudes of the estate, where cooler nights sharpen the flavour and preserve the natural acidity. Matured in stainless steel, cool and precise, without wood, without distraction.

Regaleali Nero d'Avola is a classic among Sicilian red wines – has symbolised the signature style of Tenuta Tasca d'Almerita since the 1950s. The grapes come from clay and limestone soils at medium altitude, the climate is continental with strong day-night differences that give the grape variety freshness and clarity. A bright ruby red colour with violet reflections in the glass. The aroma is open and typical of the variety: red cherry, plum, a hint of black pepper, violets and a hint of sweet liquorice. Juicy and medium-bodied on the palate, with a gentle texture, soft tannins and balanced acidity. The fruit remains in the foreground, supported by a subtle spiciness and a fine mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The Tenuta Sallier de la Tour is located in Monreale – a few kilometres from the sea, nestled in the gentle foothills of the Valle dello Jato. Coastal winds, pronounced temperature fluctuations between day and night, fresh sandy soils of medium texture: conditions that give the Syrah a naturalness and freshness that cannot be taken for granted in the Sicilian summer heat. 100% Syrah, harvested by hand, traditional white wine vinification, fermentation at 14 °C, three months on the fine lees in steel. No malolactic fermentation – the acidity remains lively, the fruit direct. Madamarosé is the antithesis of La Monaca Syrah from the same estate: the same grape variety, a completely different result.

The name says it all: Grillo means cricket – and in Sicilian folk tales, the cricket is the fairies' horse that carries them through the night on its back. "Cavallo delle Fate" therefore – the fairy horse. A wine that takes its name seriously: light at first glance, but with an energy that carries. Grillo is one of the oldest grape varieties in Sicily, a cross between Catarratto and Zibibbo, long known primarily for Marsala. In Regaleali, it grows on the hills of Sant'Anna and Piana Case Vecchie, 480 metres above sea level, facing south-east, in deep loamy, slightly calcareous soils. Tasca deliberately plays with two harvest times: Some of the grapes are harvested earlier – for freshness and minerality – the rest later, for body and structure. No wood, no malolactic fermentation, four months of maturation on the lees in steel tanks. Cool, precise, with respect for a grape variety that needs no disguise.

Guarnaccio is called Perricone in the old Regaleali dialects and stands for a long, almost forgotten tradition of indigenous red wines. The vines are rooted on 2.6 hectares in the historic Vigneto Ciminnita, newly planted in 2011, on brooding, fine clayey soil with a sparse limestone flow. Rich in polyphenols and with spicy flavours, the Guarnaccio evokes memories of an ancient winemaking tradition.

Buonsenso (common sense) is simply matured in steel tanks and left on the lees for four months. It is already visually impressive with its bright straw yellow colour. Attractive bouquet of wild flowers, mint, peach and green melon. The palate is refreshing with a great acid wire, rounded off by citrus and peach notes with a subtle hint of saltiness. SUPERIORE.DE

The word Lamuri stands locally for "love" – and the vineyards of Tenuta Regaleali reflect this as well as the passion with which this Nero d'Avola was created. The vines thrive on barren limestone soil between gently rolling hills at an altitude of 450–750 metres above sea level. Bright ruby red in colour with a violet hue. The bouquet is charming and open: Ripe blackberry, white pepper and violet accents mingle with a delicate undertone of damp lava stones. The whole is fresh and earthy at the same time. On the palate, Lamuri dances between fullness and elegance: the fruit is juicy, not overloaded, underpinned by a crisp acidity that supports the body. The tannins are velvety soft, but present and carried by a mineral trace. The final is clean, unobtrusively spicy, with a hint of cassis and liquorice that lingers in the memory. SUPERIORE.DE

An exciting cuvée that looks like a postcard from Sicily – fresh, fragrant and with a great sense of mission. Leone Blend combines five Alpine and Mediterranean grape varieties from the high-altitude vineyards of Regaleali (between 500-900 metres), whose limestone-rich, structured soils lend the wine a fine tension. After gentle pressing, it is fermented spontaneously exclusively in stainless steel tanks – with around four months of ageing on fine lees, which gives it creaminess, depth and a certain ageing potential.

Profound and yet accessible: Cygnus presents itself as an artfully composed liaison between Sicilian passion and international elegance. The cuvée – made from around 60% Nero d'Avola, supplemented by approx. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon – tells the story of two characters: the spirited autochthonous grape variety and the structurally clear, international grape. The name refers to a charming anecdote from the family: in 1881, Richard Wagner devoted himself to swan motifs during a garden stay at Villa Tasca in Palermo, while he was completing the third act of his opera Parsifal – a historical event that appropriately honours Cygnus.

The Tenuta Regaleali of Tasca d'Almerita is perhaps Sicily's best-known winery – and one that produces its olive oil with the same care as its wines. It is located in the hilly hinterland of the province of Palermo, at 450 to 900 metres, far from the sea and its influences. A terroir that gives intensity and character. Seven olive varieties give this extra virgin its complexity: Biancolilla as the main variety with 67%, supplemented by Piricuddara, Nocellara del Belice, Coratina as well as Nerva, Ogliarola, Carolea, Leccino and Frantoio.

An Etna Rosso with a clear vision: Ghiaia Nera is the introduction to the volcanic world of Tenuta Tascante – straightforward, elegant and characterised by the dramatic tension of the volcano. The grapes come from various locations on the north side of Mount Etna, around Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia. Volcanic sand, high altitude and large temperature differences characterise the style. It is traditionally matured in large wooden barrels. Brilliant ruby red colour with garnet hues in the glass. The nose opens with ripe cherry, dried raspberry, some orange zest and fine herbal notes. Juicy on the palate, with fresh acidity and a fine-grained tannin reminiscent of black tea. A wine with precision and cool noblesse, not a powerhouse, but a finely drawn red wine that clearly emphasises its origins. SUPERIORE.DE

This single-varietal Carricante from Tenuta Tascante comes from the districts of Feudo in Castiglione di Sicilia and Salice in Milo. The vineyards grow at an altitude of 600 metres on the north side of Mount Etna on volcanic sedimentary soils from different eras. The majority of the grapes grow on a terrace in Contrada Sciaranuova. Vinified in cool stainless steel, this white wine retains the mineral clarity and sulphurous notes of the indigenous grape variety. Linear and vertical, it presents itself with the characteristic acidity of Carricante, showing volcanic vigour in elegant purity. An authentic Etna character with four months of ageing on the lees that brings the aura of the volcano directly into the glass. SUPERIORE.DE

The Tenuta Capofaro of Tasca is located on the Aeolian Islands off the north-eastern tip of Sicily. The name of this fresh and aromatic Malvasia is dedicated to the former owner Paola Lantieri, who cultivated the 4.5-hectare vineyard with great dedication. The vines grow on mineral soils of ash, fine brown sand, pumice and silicate.

In 1984, Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita wanted to celebrate his golden wedding anniversary with his wife Franca by creating a wine that told the family story and the history of the Tenuta at the same time. The uniqueness of the grape composition shows his romantic spirit: Inzolia and Sauvignon from the Tasca selection, the selection of a vineyard in Regaleali that dates back to the end of the First World War. The use of selected yeasts from the estate's own vineyards links this wine even more inextricably with the terroir from which it comes. Fresh in its youth, the wine has an unexpected ageing potential and balances its tertiary aromas with the intensity of the fruit.

The small, museum-like island of Mozia in the Marsala lagoon is a production site of unrivalled uniqueness. It is a marine ecosystem that has always been linked to the vineyard. The English, who came to Marsala at the beginning of the 19th century and recognised its great potential, initiated the first planting. The vines are cultivated naturally using the Gobelet system with natural irrigation. The grapes are harvested in crates, brought to the mainland in flat-bottomed boats and then transported to the Regaleali winery in air-conditioned lorries to guarantee their aromatic integrity.

C'eragià – which is Sicilian and means: "Once upon a time." An allusion to something improbable that nevertheless came true. Because Chardonnay on the northern slope of Mount Etna, at an altitude of 740 metres, in the Contrada Rampante – sounds like an experiment that shouldn't actually work. And yet it is exactly the opposite: proof that the volcanic soil of this mountain moulds grape varieties that behave differently elsewhere.

The harvested Malvasia grapes remain in shaded drying chambers for several weeks under good ventilation. Without moisture and hot sun, the grapes dry slowly and thus retain their acidity and very moderate alcohol levels. Capofaro is an impressive dessert wine that comes from vines that once belonged to the late winemaker Carlo Hauner, who made Malvasia from the island of Salina famous.

In 1985, Lucio Tasca d'Almerita embarked on an experiment that was to become legendary. After an initial trial with cuttings from Burgundy, he planted five hectares of Chardonnay in the lower part of the San Francesco hill – at an altitude of 530 metres, facing south-east, where the Sicilian sun meets clayey-sandy soils. It was a time when international grape varieties were not yet officially recognised in Sicily, but Lucio followed his vision. This Burgundian journey to Regaleali resulted in a Chardonnay of impressive complexity. It matures for eight months in Liters French oak barrels from Allier and Tronçais, seventy percent in new barriques. The chalky sediments of the old river deposits lend it a mineral depth, while the altitude and Sicilian temperature fluctuations create the tension that characterises great Chardonnays.