Wine Reviews | Stemmari | Sicily & $10 + Under!
If you are a consistent follower of @winefarer you will know that I love trying and discovering new wines. Can’t say the same when it comes to my everyday life, but i’m working on that! When I become intrigued by something, in this case a region, I dive head first into its makeup to get to the root of the source and story. Recently, Sicily has been one to watch. I’m also loving “environmentally friendly” wines because like with food, I believe it’s important to understand what we are putting into our bodies in addition to taking pride in what we have in front of us.
With all its beauty including an active volcano, Sicily still manages to produce some of the best (in my opinion) wines in the world while staying true to its rawness through its sustainability. (Continuing reading about Sicily’s terroir here.)
Trying to drink up all the Sicilian wines I could, I came across the brand Stemmari. They sent me a few samples and I was immediately hooked.
Stemmari offers the flavors of Sicily in a bottle (sounds cheesy but it’s true) and I’d relate that back to the fact that they embrace their natural environment and treat it like how we all should be treating ourselves - with the utmost respect.
“Our aim is to sustain an example of wine making which is environmentally friendly and compatible with the surrounding area. The winery and vineyards have been developed in a way to cause as little impact on the environment as possible.” continue reading about their methods of “Sustainability” here.
The wines that I was able to dive into were both native to Sicily (even better!) Nero d’Avola + Grillo (first timer!) varietals.
STEMMARI Grillo (named 6 out of 100 best buys for wine in 2016 by Wine Enthusiast)
Its color is reminiscent of a deep yellow straw Mediterranean sun hat.
True to its color, i’m getting notes of papaya, mango, pineapple + citrus fruits with balancing floral notes.
Its taste is very delicate with honeysuckle, lemon, with the creaminess of a ripe peach and mildly acidic. This wine is delicious.
Did You Know: “A varietal native to Sicily, the Grillo is the most famous white varietal on the island and was historically used for production of Marsala.” It’s a white grape with a black dress. Why? It has this incredible ability to withstand the heat; it’s really yellow, almost amber-hued with lots of tannins," says winemaker Lucio Matricardi.
The color is an intensely deep ruby red, screams passion from the glass (just like Sicilians - PASSIONATE)!
The nose is an insane fruit bouquet of strawberry, blackberry, cherry + pomegranate.
I’m getting a taste that screams Welches Berries ‘N Cherries Fruit Snacks but not as sugary + in a good way - all the dark fruits right now. Its very velvety and soft with mild tannins. This wine is beautiful.
Did you Know: “Prince of the enological re-birth of Sicily, Nero d’Avola is a very important native varietal” And thank goodness for that! It’s now found all over the island (+ beyond) and was initially found in Siracusa (Syracuse - my alma mater)! I knew I fell in love for a reason. It all comes full circle doesn’t it!
I’m declaring both of these wines Super Bowl Sunday Wines ’19 (GO PATS) because you literally can’t beat the quality, price and both would pair nicely with game-day fare (mini sliders, pulled chicken nachos, cheese plates etc!)
Thank you Stemmari for introducing me to your beautiful + attainable wines. They brought me back to a truly special place and memory.
