Com_St_2007_03_22_PolShe_ENG-1.pdf
White Polena and red Sherazade Under the banner of “loving matrimonies” between native and international varieties.
Marsala, March 22nd, 2007. The two new Donnafugata wines, Polena and Sherazade, are both derived from grapes grown at Contessa Entellina in the sunny hills of the Belice Valley in western Sicily. A white and a red, innovative in terms of blend, with a Mediterranean heart and an international soul. They are the fruit of the 2006 vintage and follow the path of a production style that has always celebrated the “amorous” union between varieties of the Sicilian and international traditions.
In producing these two wines, Donnafugata wanted to exploit the experiments conducted in recent years with the aim of proposing new sensory sensations to its admirers. Polena and Sherazade are destined exclusively to restaurants and wine bars, which will benefit from an excellent price/quality ratio.
White Polena is obtained from Catarratto and Viognier grapes in equal parts. The grapes are harvested at different times (Viognier in August and the Catarratto in September).
The Catarratto provides a very good acidity, while the Viognier guarantees warmth, fullness and flavor-aroma complexity that ranges from fruity to floral notes. On the nose, ample shadings enfold the taster with elegance and style and offer scents of minerals and the fruitiness of citrus and exotic types embellished by floral notes of acacia and broom. On the palate, sapidity and freshness are great protagonists, perfectly incorporated in an enshrouding spherical structure.
The label and the name, selected by Gabriella Anca Rallo, are truly appropriate: Polena is the wooden decoration that depicts fantastic feminine creatures. They were posted on the prows of ships to keep the vessel on course and assure a safe voyage. A new face, sweet and sensual, of a woman among the Donnafugata labels.
Red Sherazade is derived from Nero d’Avola and Syrah grapes, in the same percentages. The grapes of the two varieties were harvested in September in the Contessa Entellina countryside and vinified in stainless steel. Maceration of the skins is protracted for about 10 days and occurs at temperatures ranging from 26 to 28° C. (79-82° F.). Once malolactic fermentation has occurred, the wine is matured for about two months in stainless steel tanks and then refined in bottles for a further three months.
The olfactory profile of this wine opens on a medley of sensations that vary from fruity tones, prevalently from Nero d’Avola, to the balsamic and mineral notes of Syrah. Scents of wild berries, currants, cherries and blackberries stand out and they are followed by sweet notes of cacao. A full-bodied wine that inundates the palate with a caressing and seductive structure and relegates the tannins to the role of completing the equilibrium. It is extremely pleasing so that it requires an effort to drink it with moderation.
The name Sherazade is an invitation to discover the fable of this elegant wine and a tribute to the beautiful protagonist of the “Mille e una Notte, the young woman who must keep the sultan awake with her stories to stave off her execution. A label, intensely Mediterranean in the full Donnafugata style.
“The arrival of these two new labels,” explained Antonio Rallo di Donnafugata, “constitutes an important step forward for our estate. We believed in the introduction of two new international varieties of great interest, like Viognier and Syrah. These new varieties, planted five years ago, have entered full production and vinification has provided results that exceeded our rosiest expectations. The territory, even in this case, yielded the hoped-for fruit, permitting us to take a decisive step forward in satisfying wine lovers, who are always seeking new sensations. And our market is already displaying its appreciation for Polena, distribution of which began about a month ago. Sherazade will make its appearance at Vinitaly. Two novelties in which we have great confidence.
Baldo M. Palermo [email protected] phone +39 0923 724226
Laura Ellwanger: [email protected] phone. +39 0923 724258
Nando Calaciura [email protected] mob. +39 338 3229837
