Sicily and the grape catarratto

Catarrato is a grape that is grown a lot of in Sicily which is used to make white wines. I have tried the wine Costantino by producer Azienda Agricola Costantino. It is wine from 2013 made by 100% Catarratto. The colour is straw yellow with hints of green. It smells very fresh and the taste is of citrus and grape. It is very nice and has a long aftertaste.

Lacrimarosa, or is it tears of joy?

One producer in Campania that I have wanted to try is Mastroberardino, however their wines are hard to get in Sweden unless one wants to buy six bottles. But I found their rose wine Lacrimarosa and I bought a bottle. The colour of this rose is very beautiful. Almost like the colour of a red grape. The taste is complex and is the best rose wine that I have tasted. The taste is of red currants, blood grape and some herbs. Not an easy drinking wine but a wine for food.

A region in Italy that I don't drink that much from is Liguria, but the white wine Vinodamare from the DOC Colli di Luni has found it self into my hands. The grape is vermentino and it is from 2012. The colour is very deep yellow shifting into orange. The taste is very strong and a good wine for seafood.

Two on the road

While being away on business i had the chance to try two different white wines. One from Chile and one from Italy.

Wine from Chile is not normally on my menu but it is nice to try new things. this wine is from producer Errazuriz and is from 2013 and the grape used is Sauvignon blanc. I had a couple of Sauvignon blanc of the years and they have tasted nice but this wine tasted all gooseberry and not much else. Not very nice to drink for me. I have had better.

Better is the wine Da Luca from Siciliy.It is made from pinot grigio and chardonnay grapes and is from 2012. It has a taste of apples, pears and some citrus and with a long finish. Decent wine.

Two white from Italy

Rocco Ventosa is a white wine from the region of Abruzzo in Italy with the designation IGP Pinot Grigio. So the grape is Pinot Grigio and the producer is Cantina Tollo. I bought it because of the region and I usually love Pinot Grigio wines.  But this wine is nothing special. Not bad but nothing that says anything to me. Rather bland unfortunately.

Planeta is a big producer in Sicily and I have loved their previous wines that I have drunk. The white wine Casa Planeta that I have tried is their family wine and with a nice price can be on anyone's table. The grapes are Grecanico and Chardonnay. The colour is of yellow with hints of green. The smell is of flowers and the taste is very fresh. Notes of citrus, green fruit and a good acidity. Good to drink as it is and also with food such as chicken or vegetarian dishes. With this quality I wonder why this is not in the regular range at Systembolaget. Planeta is one firm that I have to try more of. I wonder how their top brands taste when their table wine is this good.