Drink the Islands: Mediterranean Wines for Summer

Saturday, June 23rd
4:30 - 7:00

Imagine a glorious summer, sailing to a remote, sun-baked spot surrounded by a glittering turquoise sea, where you sip chilled local wines over loooking a harbor of gently rocking white yachts.  Yeah, not many of us get that experience, but we aim to bring a little piece of it to you this weekend!  Our tasting this Saturday will focus on wines made on two of the Mediterranean's largest islands - Sicily and Corsica.  While many of the native grapes may be unfamiliar, don't worry as the wines, born from grapes grown in volcanic soil and ripened by luminous sun, salt air, and the mistral wine, are really, really good.  We'll taste three fantastic selections from Mount Etna on Sicily.  The Etna wine-producing area arcs around the eastern side of the volcano, where the light reflected back onto the vines from the glinting Mediterranean helps the grapes ripen more completely, even at cooler, higher altitudes.  We'll also delve into a couple of Corsican wines that offer fantastic quality for their price.  Corsica is located off the coasts of Languedoc and Tuscany, and while closer in reality to Italy, is officailly a region of France and follows French wine laws.  You do see the island's Italian origins shining through the wines, though, which are made predominantly of classic Italian grapes such as Vermentino and Sangionses (known here as Nielluccio).  The French heritage is there as well, with Languedoc grapes such as Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah making background appearances in the blended wines.  We encourage you to join us this weekend as we take a little Island vacation, in our wines at least if not in body!

Domaine Vetriccie Blanc
50% Vermentino, 50% Chardonnay
Île de Beauté IGP, France, 2017

Tenuta delle Terre Nere Bianco
70% Carricante, 20% Catarratto, 5% Grecanico, 5% Minnella
Etna Bianco DOC, Italy, 2017

Tenuta delle Terre Nere Rosato
100% Nerello Mascalese
Etna Rosato DOC, Italy, 2017

Domaine Vetriccie Rouge
40% Nielluccio (Sangiovese), 30% Sciaccarello, 20% Merlot, 10% Syrah
Île de Beauté IGP, France, 2017

Tenuta delle Terre Nere Rosso
95% Nerello Mascalese, 5% Nerello Cappuccio
Etna Rosso DOC, Italy, 2016