More Sicily Action: Valle Dell'Acate Sticks out a Thumb
Moving forward....
This week we hone in on another individual producer doing great things at a reasonable price. Valle Dell'Acate is no laughing matter. Three wines this week will showcase their diversity, their uniqueness and yet another form of Sicilian greatness.
The first up is another single varietal Frappato:
2013 Valle Dell'Acate Frappato: $19.99
A certain someone, from a certain store, recommended this as their favorite pizza wine and you know what, it has been a house special ever since. But let's tell you why: This obscure native grape is as yummy as always in every vintage. Fresh raspberry, with edgy smoke and salt scents. Silky and scrumptious all the freakin time. The smoke and raspberry is a perfect compliment to the tomato sauce in a pizza and is light and easy going enough to just be like "hey, we're just relaxing with some pizza, nothing too serious here." That is what it does best.
Where would we be without Nero d'Avola?
2010 Valle Dell'Acate Moro: $24.99
100% Nero aged in stainless for one year and bottle aged for another. Without getting too geeky, there is really a time and place with this wine. When done in stainless steel, Sicilian Nero can have a real intensity and unique page in Wikipedia. The blackberry is there as always, but here the blueberry notes come out of center field Willie Mays style. The earth is really showcased here with loads of leather, tar and sweet black licorice. When everything comes together, it is a unique expression of Nero d'Avola. One for the history books.
Now let's combine the two
2010 Valle Dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria: $24.99
70% Nero (oak aged for a year) and 30% Frappato (stainless steel). Sometimes in life you find a wine with two different grapes. And you ask the wine with the two different grapes, "Mr. Wine, is there anyway each of these two grapes can act as an individual?" Most of the time, the answer is no. I mean sure, you can tell that a Saint Emillion has a high percentage of Merlot, but how often do both grapes really stand out as two different people side by side? Jobs and Wozniak. Gooden and Carter. You get the deal. That is what really strikes us about this Cerasuolo. The Nero d'Avola does what it does best -- fatness, muscularity, smoke, dust and grime. The Frappato is not just the supporting actor, but the nominee for best song in a drama. The flashy, silkiness gives this wine a drive and a passion. There you have it. Identity.
10% off on any 6 from the above. Again, we will have to refund you when the order comes in. We are still creating this monster of a website without the help of Jobs or Wozniak.
This week we hone in on another individual producer doing great things at a reasonable price. Valle Dell'Acate is no laughing matter. Three wines this week will showcase their diversity, their uniqueness and yet another form of Sicilian greatness.
The first up is another single varietal Frappato:
2013 Valle Dell'Acate Frappato: $19.99
A certain someone, from a certain store, recommended this as their favorite pizza wine and you know what, it has been a house special ever since. But let's tell you why: This obscure native grape is as yummy as always in every vintage. Fresh raspberry, with edgy smoke and salt scents. Silky and scrumptious all the freakin time. The smoke and raspberry is a perfect compliment to the tomato sauce in a pizza and is light and easy going enough to just be like "hey, we're just relaxing with some pizza, nothing too serious here." That is what it does best.
Where would we be without Nero d'Avola?
2010 Valle Dell'Acate Moro: $24.99
100% Nero aged in stainless for one year and bottle aged for another. Without getting too geeky, there is really a time and place with this wine. When done in stainless steel, Sicilian Nero can have a real intensity and unique page in Wikipedia. The blackberry is there as always, but here the blueberry notes come out of center field Willie Mays style. The earth is really showcased here with loads of leather, tar and sweet black licorice. When everything comes together, it is a unique expression of Nero d'Avola. One for the history books.
Now let's combine the two
2010 Valle Dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria: $24.99
70% Nero (oak aged for a year) and 30% Frappato (stainless steel). Sometimes in life you find a wine with two different grapes. And you ask the wine with the two different grapes, "Mr. Wine, is there anyway each of these two grapes can act as an individual?" Most of the time, the answer is no. I mean sure, you can tell that a Saint Emillion has a high percentage of Merlot, but how often do both grapes really stand out as two different people side by side? Jobs and Wozniak. Gooden and Carter. You get the deal. That is what really strikes us about this Cerasuolo. The Nero d'Avola does what it does best -- fatness, muscularity, smoke, dust and grime. The Frappato is not just the supporting actor, but the nominee for best song in a drama. The flashy, silkiness gives this wine a drive and a passion. There you have it. Identity.
10% off on any 6 from the above. Again, we will have to refund you when the order comes in. We are still creating this monster of a website without the help of Jobs or Wozniak.