Mandrarossa, Serapias passito di Pantelleria 2019

The island of Pantelleria south of Sicily is an Italian island that produces fantastic sweet wines from the Zibibbo grape.The producer Mandrarossa is a cooperative in Sicily. The grapes for the Serapias wine is harvested in the last week of August from vineyards in the northwest on the island. After the harvest the grapes are dried for 20-22 days. The grapes are then pressed and fermented and then stored in steel tanks for 10 months and then finally in the bottles for three months.

The taste is of flower, orange and raisin in a very complex sweet passito wine. This wine is made to drink young and won't age as other passito di Pantelleria will.

Two Nero D'Avola from Sicily, Mandrarossa and Siquilia

The cooperative Mandrarossa in Sicily produces many different wines. One of them is Costadune Nero D'Avola that is made of 100% Nero D'Avola. This grape is a grape that is completely red throughut, many red grapes only has a red skin. This grape is mostly grown in Sicily and has during the last years shown to produce good red wines and not just simple table wine. The wine is from 2019 and I have tasted the 2017 vintage earlier. The wine has the ABV 13,5%. This is a nice fruity Nero D'Avola. Lots of red fruit such as cherry and some plum and blackberry. It is a very good wine and is more complex then the 2017vintage.

The second wine is the Siquilia Nero D'Avola of the vintage 2020. The producer is Cantina Ermes in Sicily. The ABV is 13,5%. The grapes comes from an area south of Palermo. In the taste blueberry, some plum and a hint of vanilla. Some light tannins in the back with some acidity. A good wine.

Three red wines from Italy

The producer Mandrarossa in Sicily produces many different wines. One of them is Costadune, this is made of 100% Nero D'Avola. This grape is a grape that is completely red throughut, many red grapes only has a red skin. This grape is mostly grown in Sicily and has during the last years shown to produce good red wines and not just simple table wine. The Costadune wine is from 2017 and has the ABV 13,5%. The taste is of red currants, som red cherry with some spice and tannins and acidity. Goes down quite well and is a nice easy drinking wine.

Next red wine is the wine Rosso Di Montalcino from producer Col D'Orcia in Tuscany. It is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 14%.  In the taste I get a big hit of sour cherry, some leather, black currant with tannins on the finish. A great food wine.

The last wine is a red wine from Valpolicella from producer Tenute Falezze. It is a Valpolicella Superiore wine from 2016. It contains the grapes Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta. This is a beautiful delicate red. Very elegant taste with cherry, licorice, with some viol and cassis. A wonderful Valpolicella.

Thre red wines from Italy, Lungarotti , Mandrarossa and Vajra

The first red wine is from Producer Lungarotti in Umbria. It is called Rubesco and is of the vintage 2016. This is a wine that I have tried several other vintages before. In the taste I get dark cherries and black currants. The 2016 vintage is slightly better than the 2015 for me. A good buy.

Next up the the producer Mandrarossa from Sicily in Italy. The wine s called Frappato Costadune and it is made of 100% Frappato grapes. Frappato is an Italian red wine grape that is mostly grown in Sicily. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%. In the taste I get raspberry, strawberries and viols. A good nice easydrinking wine.

The last wine is from producer G.D. Vajra in Piemonte, Italy. It is the red wine Langhe Rosso and is a mix of the grapes from the Lange region such as Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto and small amounts of Albarossa, Freisa, Pinot noir. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV 13,5%. I get dark cherry and black currants with some earthy notes and tannins in the back. A very good Langhe Rosso from producer G.D. Vajra.

Two white wines from Sicily from Mandrarossa and Teuta Regaleali

Sicily is a big wine producing region in Italy. You can find so many different types of wine from Sicily, both international grapes to the local grapes. Quality can shift a lot as is usual with big wine regions.

Mandrarossa is a relative new acquaintance for me and their vineyards are situated along the south coast of Sicily. I have tasted their wine Zibibbo secco Costadune. It is made of 100% Zibibbo grapes in a dry style. Normally zibibbo is used to make sweet wines. These grapes come near Menfi in the south west of Sicily and the grapes are grown on hills there. The vintage is 2018 and the ABV is 12%. I get peach and tropical fruits on the nose. In the taste I get pear, some mineral and citrus. A nice dry zibibbo.

Next is the wine Cataratto Antisa from the estate Tenuta Regaleali run by Tasca D'Almerita situated in the middle of Sicily. It is made of 100% Cataratto grapes and the ABV is 12%. The vintage is 2017. The taste is fresh with peach, citrus and some minerals. A very good cataratto.