Let’s explore and try to understand what this Cantine Barbera – easy box bring in the glass:

• Ammano, dry Zibibbo, Menfi DOC, 2022
• FuoriZona, Frappato, Terre Siciliane IGT, 2021
• Microcosmo, Perricone, Menfi DOC, 2018

A meaningful story that of Ammano, which was created to recover the value of manual labour, care and joy in doing it. An absolutely artisanal wine made entirely by hand from 100% Zibibbo grapes, without the aid of machinery, additives or synthetic oenological products. The grapes are harvested by hand at the end of August. Fermentation is spontaneous on the skins for 7 days in steel. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 4 months in 10 hl barrels of unroasted Slavonian oak, and is bottled with all its sediment directly by gravity.

The colour is golden yellow like the Sicilian sun, slightly veiled. Intense and persistent is its bouquet of broom and orange blossom, ripe apricot and notes of Mediterranean scrub, thyme, marjoram and oregano. In the mouth, the fruit is crisp, vibrant and direct, brackish in the finish and with a marked acidity.

We like to pair it with sea urchins, tuna roe, oysters and other shellfish, raw fish and king prawns. And for the more adventurous, we think it is perfect for our Aperitivo Mare box.

About 3,3000 bottles/year are produced.

Alcohol above volume: 12,5%
Serving temperature: 12°-14°C 
When to drink this wine:  It is a wine to wait for, without haste. You have to wait for the golden liquid to rest in the glass for a while, to come into contact with oxygen again after having been, in the bottle, in contact with its sediment that keeps it in a condition of natural reduction, thus protecting it from oxidation.

About Zibibbo
Zibibbo is one of the very rare grapes in the world with a triple attitude: it is a wine grape, it is good to eat and ideal for drying.Zibibbo is also an aromatic grape. Like Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, its berries are rich in aromatic organic compounds called terpenes, and in particular, it has a high concentration of linalool, geraniol and nerol.

It is a resilient variety: although sensitive to excessive humidity, it withstands drought in warmer climates very well. This extraordinary adaptability is one of the reasons for its very long history, dating back 5,000 years. In fact, Zibibbo has been cultivated in the Mediterranean area since time immemorial and has spanned hundreds of centuries without significant genetic modifications.

Universally known as Moscato d’Alessandria, Zibibbo was brought to western Sicily by the Phoenicians, probably along Carthaginian trade routes, and to southern Italy by the Greeks, becoming one of the most widespread and interesting varieties in the western Mediterranean around 800-700 BC. Universally known as Moscato d’Alessandria, Zibibbo was brought to western Sicily by the Phoenicians, probably along Carthaginian trade routes, and to southern Italy by the Greeks, becoming one of the most widespread and interesting varieties in the western Mediterranean around 800-700 BC. In Sicily, Moscato is mainly known by its Arabic name, Z’bīb, which simply means ‘sultana’.

Zibibbo’s threefold aptitude is the reason for its great versatility. Its grapes are used to make light, fragrant dry wines with delicate nuances ranging from floral to citrus; orange wines made intense by maceration on the skins and characterised by fruity hints of figs, apricots and candied orange peel; and extraordinarily complex dessert wines, where honey, dates and dried fruit are the most typical attributes.

Frappato is a grape variety originating in the province of Ragusa, where it finds its vocation in the Vittoria area. Despite this, most Sicilian Frappato is grown in the area that shares with Vittoria its southern exposure, salinity and sandy-calcareous soils lying on compact clay.
The grapes are harvested in mid-September.The wine ferments spontaneously in a Slavonian oak vat for 5 days, where it also completes malolactic fermentation. It then matures for 6 months in 10-hectolitre barrels of unroasted Slavonian oak. To be drunk young or matured for 3-5 years.
FuoriZona has a beautiful ruby colour, soft tannins, evident acidity and supple body. It smells of cherries, mint, violets and red roses, and on the palate there are notes of pink pepper, blood orange and pomegranate.
We particularly like to pair it with oily fish, seafood soups, couscous and grilled vegetables.

About 3800 bottles are produced

Microcosmo means an ecosystem where vegetals, animals, insects, soil, air, water, wild herbs and an endless diversity of microorganisms live together in a dynamic, harmonic competition, creating a small world where everyone, even the smallest one, is essential to everyone else’s life. Microcosmo is 90% Perricone and 10% Nerello Mascalese, a traditional field blend that is the typical varietal mix that you find in very old vineyards. The Nerello Mascalese is used to mitigate the rustic character of the Perricone. The vineyard was planted in 2009. After hand harvesting, due normally at the end of August, in small baskets, the grapes are brought to the winery for immediate destemming and crushing. Maceration on the skins lasts about one week in stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous, with wild yeast followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine is not fined nor filtered is matured for minimum 1 year, in neutral Slavonian oak barrels and in stainless steel tanks.
Often lighter than many other Sicilian reds, Microcosmo is a medium-bodied dynamic wine with a bright ruby red color. Complex and elegant aromas of red ripe fruit merge into scents of sweet bay-leaf and the finest oriental spices: cinnamon, ginger, incense, star anise then dried fruit, baked black olives, and salted capers. It is dry and very persistent to the palate, with a mineral fresh structure that evolves into an intense aftertaste.

We love it with medium-aged cheeses and cured meats.

Average production is about 2.500 bottles/year.

Alcohol content: 12.5%
Serving temperature: 14°-16°C 
When to drink this wine: Somehow tight and grumpy when very young, Microcosmo loosens up after one or two years and has a long aging potential, that can fully express the wine’s personality after 4/5 years from the harvest.

Pour Microcosmo in wide Bordeaux style glasses to allow wine’s oxigenation, at a fresh temperature that will favor its pleasant aromatic developement.

About Perricone

Perricone is an ancient Sicilian red grape variety introduced in Sicily by Greeks about VIII century B.C.. Particularly prevalent in the 1800s during the pre-phylloxera period, was then long time forgotten and neglected, it is now again on stage thanks to the amazing job of a few wineries, among which Cantine Barbera.