Browsing in my local wine shop, a bottle of white caught my eye.
It came from Tenuta Regaleali, a name I recognized as the much lauded estate and cooking school in Sicily. It was founded by the late Anna Tasca Lanza, who did so much to bring Sicilian country cooking to wide acclaim. Tasca Lanza’s daughter Fabrizia has taken over the school. (This is off topic, but David Lebovitz published this gorgeous post about the estate.)
I also had never encountered the varietal Grillo, which means cricket in Italian, so I was doubly intrigued.
Golden in color, this vino is aromatic with hints of citrus. It’s a sumptuous dry Italian white for summer times.
I learned the back story of this indigenous Sicilian grape on The Wine Hub blog. Once the primary varietal used to produce fortified Marsala wine, it has largely been replaced by the higher yielding Catarratto. Happily, it’s being revived by modern vintners.
Cin Cin!
Tenuta Regaleali
Grillo
Cavallo Delle Fate
Sicilia DOC 2013
$13.99 for 750 ml. bottle in Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits Store