Rallo Azienda Agricola, Vicoletto Catarratto (Orange), IGP Sicily Italy

Producer Profile

The Vesco family make fragrant wines, organically grown in a certified organic agriculture.

They represent the best and most typical style of winemaking in western Sicily: crisp Catarratto and perfumed, fresh Nero d'Avola from their hillside vineyards. Cantine Rallo have vineyards in three sites in western Sicily: Alcamo for Catarratto and Nero d'Avola; Marsala for Grillo and Pantelleria for the Zibbibo that makes their delicious Passito di Pantelleria. Their grapes tend to be picked earlier in the year than many of their neighbours which produces their customary bright, fresh style of wine.

Viticulture

Vicoletto is a new project from Rallo Azienda Agricola. Catarratto grapes are grown in sandy soils high up in the hills of Alcamo, where vines are protected from the extremes of the island heat and take advantage of the greater diurnal range, allowing the vines to ripen more gently. Andrea Vesco practices a sustainable approach of organic farming. In these fertile soils, vines have been cultivated in Alcamo for more than 300 years. Grapes are hand harvested in the cool of the early morning.

Winemaking

Grapes are softly pressed and 90% is transferred to tank without skins for fermentation, while 10% is fermented on skins for a total of 12 days. Both elements undergo natural fermentation with wild yeasts. The 10% skin contact wine is blended in, and the resulting wine is bottled without stabilisation, filtration, fining or added sulfur.

Tasting Note

This ‘Orange’ wine is bright yet slightly cloudy in colour thanks to the natural approach to winemaking; with no stabilisation, fining or filtration resulting in a wine with very low sulphur levels. The bouquet is a beautiful mix of citrus, grapefruit, apple and white flesh fruits that follows onto the palate. Complemented by Mediterranean herbs and a backbone of fresh acidity.

Food Matching

Best lightly chilled to around 14°C rather than served straight from the refrigerator with Sicilian pasta asciutta/ bolognaise or pane e panelle (chickpea fritters).