The Diversity of Sicilian Wines

Planeta Winery pays a visit to Chicago

“There are three reasons to drink Sicilian wine,” says Alessio Planeta, lead winemaker for Planeta Winery. One, he explains, for its 25-century history. Two, for its biodiversity. And three, because it has one of the longest harvest seasons, due to diversity in terroir and climate.

And indeed, just as Sicily represents a cross-section of Italian history – including Arabic, Baroque, Greek, Byzantine and more – its unique geography presents an array of combinations to entice ambitious winemakers. Sicily’s wine industry currently produces about 20 indigenous grapes; 20 more are in the process of being re-introduced to the land as the industry continues to flourish. Its soils span from pebbly river soils, to limestone, to dark organic soil, to chalk and silt, to yellow and dark gray clay, to red sands. A warm Mediterranean climate, with plentiful ocean breezes (most wineries reside toward the island’s rim) provides ideal conditions.

Planeta Winery began on an estate owned by the Planeta family since the 1600s, but it was only in the mid-1980s that Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta began to experiment with matching local and non-indigenous grape varieties to Sicily’s diverse soils and climates. Planeta now encompasses six wineries stretching to all corners of the triangular-shaped island: Ulmo and Menfi in the west; Sciara Nuova (which sits at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level) and La Baronia in the northeast; and Dorilli and Buonivini in the southeast.

Alessio Planeta recently presented his portfolio of wines to a small group of Chicagoans at lunch at Ristorante Prosecco in River North, where he detailed the process of matching terroir to grape. Each wine, he explained, is created with an established inspiration in mind; for example, Planeta’s Carricante, heralding from Castiglione di Sicilia near Mount Etna and grown in mineral-rich black lava sand soils, is reminiscent of a German riesling, with its mineral freshness and green apple aroma.

Some of the wines ring familiar: a French oak-aged chardonnay from the Ulmo winery, located in the Menfi region on the banks of Arancio Lake, validates Italy’s reputation for rich white wines from its southern regions. And many Americans are likely familiar with the nero d’avola (“black of Avola”), an indigenous grape that pairs well with any southern Italian dish. Planeta’s Santa Cecilia, a 100 percent nero d’avola wine aged in French oak, is a likely crowd-pleaser, due to its rich berry and pepper aroma, manageable tannins and balanced texture.

But don’t settle for just the familiar. Planeta Cometa, a 100 percent fiano, teases with an intense aroma and fruit flavors. And Cerasuolo di Vittoria, made with 60 percent nero d’avola and 40 percent frappato, is notable as Sicily’s only D.O.C.G. wine.

Ready to sip? Find Planeta wines in Chicago at Mariano’s Fresh Market (333 East Benton Place), Perman Wines (802 West Washington Boulevard) and Binny’s Beverage Depot (various locations).

Pictured: Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta

Tagged as: wine, wine tasting, winery, Sicily, Italy and travel