6 aprile 2007
Pedaling Wine:
Marsala: How to Brand A Cash Cow.

Within walking distance of the charming historical centre of Marsala, two wineries exist, virtually side by side. All you have to do is walk the pretty-purple-flowered, white-capped coast down to the port, then hang a left and you’ll find the wines of Marsala, old and new. The only problem is trying to decide which is which: one is Florio, making hyper-traditional Marsala, albeit with new, high-end packaging. The other is Donna Fugata, perhaps one of the most sophisticated wineries in all of Italy, making wines based on grapes whose names don’t appear anywhere on the front label.

Which is the old model, which is the new? Depends on how you buy your wine.

Why, I asked.
We want to establish brand names that outlive grape fads, said Stefano, a very articulate speaker, his Parma-accent revealing that’s he’s not autochthonous to Sicily himself.
So why would a grape-producer as old as Sicily ever buy, plant and then bottle foreign grapes, I asked.

Typically, Sicilian producers rely on a small percentage of non-autochthonous grapes to flesh out what is missing from the autochthonous, said Baldo. If an autochthonous grape has a classic short-coming compared to modern taste, let’s say, too little acid, or too short of an aftertaste, you can correct it with a dash, 10 or 15% of a non-autochthonous. All of that is not only legal but common in Italy.
So it’s corrective, from a taste stand-point versus that of marketing, I asked.
For us, yes, said Stefano.

I’ve seen this a lot in Sicily already, a classic example with Frappato, a flat, too-low-in-acid for my tastes red grape, which is now commonly blended with Syrah. Frappato reminds me of pure cabernet franc-based wines, which, to me, always beg the question, why in hell would you want a wine based on cabernet franc? It’s what you don’t like about merlot, amplified (that flabby, lead weight of a taste and mouth-feel, like drinking house paint). A slight extension of this model, also common here now, the Nero d’Avola, cabernet sauvignon, merlot blend, actually does resembles Bordeaux a bit. It’s good wine, but it hardly gets at the soul of Sicily, which I think should be the noble goal for any wine maker here.

Donna Fugata sells most of its wine in Italy, but should you see a bottle in your home town, try one on for size. I’ve had their entire line over the years and I think they’re always money well-spent. Well, except for one, but you could chalk that up to sour grapes (I never, ever buy non-autochthonous-based wines in Italy).

I crossed the street to Florio and saw the other model, classic Marsala, the fortified wine made from those three classic Sicilian grapes, Insolia, Cataratto and Grillo. If you like sherry, you’ll love Marsala, and I don’t mean just for cooking. If you don’t like sherry, classic Marsala will be a salty, oxidized blond drink that you’re likely to pour out assuming the bottle is bad. Like anchovies and blue cheese, it’s a genre that’s claim to fame is that it tastes like its peers, only when they’ve gone bad. I respect Marsala more than I like it. Back in Lecce I have two, high-end bottles that I’ve never opened, which as you may have guessed by now, is not how I treat non-Marsala-type wines.

So, what is the direction in which Sicily is headed? Keepers of the flame –Florio’s classic Marsala, in a time when the world’s tastes have seemingly changed, or Donna Fugata, who benevolently, perhaps even lovingly ‘tricks’ you into liking Sicily’s autochthonous grapes?

Depends on how you buy your wine.

to Trapani...

Commenti:
What an adventure, I so envy you. Have the best time!
Carol

Ahh...Silvestori...Sicily's wonderful Marsala wine. First taste, age 5 @ Grandpa Ventura's table for 16 (big family), in a tiny shot glass with a bit of water added. I can still feel it going down (ooh, Nonno, it feels hot!) Now I use it in chicken & pork dishes. Ahh.
(Peg) Margherita Rhodes
Prescott, AZ USA

We enjoyed sharing your journey to Sicily. Great story about "la legge." So "Sicilian."
(we miss your emails. must "hear" from you soon; questions about 8-14 luglio.)
Joe & Peg Rhodes
Prescott, AZ