Type: White - Contessa Entellina DOP
Alcohol content: 13-13.5% vol.
Grapes: Ansonica and other grapes according to the vintage.
Trained in the counter-espalier system and pruned in spurred cordon. Average planting density, 5,000 rootstocks per hectare (2,024 an acre); production of about 6 tons per hectare (2.4 tons an acre). Terrain of medium consistency.
Vinification: The grapes are soft-pressed and the must is fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel. 90% of the wine matures in vats and 10% in French oak barriques. Aging for at least three months in bottle before release onto the market.
Description: The intense, elegant aromas range from fruity (apples) to floral (acacia) and more complex scents of a salty or mineral (flint) cast. A structured, mouth-filling flavor that is fresh and sapid. Lingering finish.
Food & Wine: Introductory seafood dishes. Fish roasted in the oven or over the coals, sauced white meats, molds and soufflés. Ideal with baccalà al pomodoro (salt cod in tomato sauce), vegetables and roasted mushrooms.
Two dishes: Caponatina con pomodoro (eggplant in sweet-sour sauce with tomato). "Piscistocco" (stockfish) alla messinese. Linguine ai finferli (mushrooms).
Serve: In relatively tall, tulip-shaped goblets of medium size and without bellies; uncork the wine when it is to be served; excellent at 10-12°C (50-54°F).
Curiosity: “Vigna di Gabri” is not a fantasy name, because the wine bears the name of Gabriella, who wanted to create it and oversaw its development. She believed in its engrossing fragrance of Ansonica. The new label created for the 2004 vintage, shows the bond of Gabriella with her land and the Ansonica, one of Sicily’s oldest native white grapes. First vintage: 1987.