SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch encourages you to discover a Sicilian white grape that’s starting to find a wider audience here. If you like the textured whites of the Rhône, or Bandol, or the “island whites” of Corsica and Sardinia, this needs to be on your radar.
I’ve never been to North Africa, but I’m told that the western Sicilian port town of Marsala—which I have visited—has a North African feel. Sun-baked and whitewashed, some people think Marsala’s name comes from the Arabic 'Marsa Allah' (“God’s Port”), possibly given to it by North African Berbers in the 8th century. This is a place that once rivaled Jerez and Port for the reputation (and global distribution) of its fortified wines, with British shippers such as John Woodhouse setting up shop back in the 18th century. Now, of course, we associate Marsala with cooking wine—not a sexy reputation, and one that its historic producers have worked over the last several decades to shake. Vast swaths of old vines at the western end of Sicily, whose grapes were once anonymously blended in the big Marsala houses (which were/are not unlike the Sherry bodegas of Jerez), have been re-purposed to create dry, modern table wines, and one of the native grapes I’ve been watching with interest is Grillo. Perhaps you’ve tried Catarratto, another Sicilian native that has gotten more traction, or Carricante, the white grape of Mount Etna. But Grillo? I’ve had quite a few, and liked them, but none has made as convincing a case for the grape as “Bianco Maggiore,” which is produced at the resurgent Cantine Rallo, one of the old-line Marsala houses. Like many of their contemporaries, Rallo has gotten with the times and devoted more resources to dry white/red wine production. The natural resources are there, and now the commitment and talent is, too. Grillo has the beeswaxy texture of some Northern Rhône whites (Marsanne; Roussanne), along with the tropical and herbal notes found in other “island whites” from Sardinia and Corsica. We were very impressed with this white’s mix of rich structure and “coastal” personality, and if you are in search of new white wine sensations, this one comes highly recommended.
The Grillo (GREE-lo) variety is said to be a cross of Catarratto and Moscato, the latter another ubiquitous Sicilian variety used mostly in dried-grape sweet wines. Given the floral, perfumed aromatics of Moscato, it’s no surprise that Grillo, too, has a touch of the floral in its aromatic profile, though it manifests more as citrus blossom and is not unlike another Sicilian stalwart, Malvasia, in that regard. The other identifying characteristic of the better Grillos I’ve tried is that waxy texture backed with enough acidity to keep it fresh rather than fat. Such was that case with the 2015 “Bianco Maggiore,” which had us all smacking our lips and craving another sip.
The story of the evolution of Rallo property, which dates to 1860, is a fairly common one in western Sicily—one in which a large, commercial, somewhat hidebound property gets a breath of fresh air from new ownership. Rallo was purchased in the ’90s by the Vesco family, who, among other things, converted the property’s diverse assortment of vineyards to organic viticulture (and are now certified). They also brought in super-consultant Carlo Ferrini (one of Italy’s most famous “flying winemakers”) to assist with the winemaking. The Grillo for “Bianco Maggiore” is sourced from Rallo’s 10-hectare “Piane Liquide” estate in Marsala, where vineyards grow in sandy soils just a few kilometers from the sea, along a lagoon that is part of a nature reserve called “Riservo dello Stagnone.” It was fermented and then aged six months in stainless steel tanks.
The 2015 “Bianco Maggiore” has a lush, slightly honeyed texture backed by fresh acidity and a dried flower and dried herb savor. In the glass it’s a deep yellow-gold with hints of green at the rim, with aromas of citrus blossom, white peach, blood orange, acacia honey, and dried white flowers. It doesn’t skew as floral as Viognier, but is reminiscent of that grape texturally, with a nice wave of palate-coating extract checked by refreshing acidity and a hint of salinity (which isn’t surprising given its coastal sourcing). Another wine is reminded me of is Istrian Malvasia from Italy’s northeastern-most corner—the mixture of fleshy texture and saline grip was what did it—and I would recommend drinking this wine now at 45-50 degrees with a wide variety of seafood dishes. No decanting necessary, just let it rip in all-purpose white wine stems alongside the attached recipe for Sicilian-style seafood stew. To me, this is the Italian version of a Provençal white with Bouillabaise. You’re going to love it!
