Premi

Donnafugata’s Tancredi is one of Sicily’s most popular red wines, and it’s easy to see why. The 2016 Tancredi is rich and soft at the same time, with a very pleasing texture that caresses the palate with dark fruit, spice and plum. The wine is mostly a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola, although some Tannat and other grapes are thrown in. It ages in oak for 14 months. This is a complete effort that boasts thick layering and volume. Some 89,000 bottles were made.

Rather than pair this wine with a Sicilian dessert, serve it as the Sicilian dessert. The 2016 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé is a radiant and beautifully fragrant edition with white raisins, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, preserved lemon, dried sage, apricot and sea salt. I could go on. The wine is light on its feet thanks to that crisp acidity, yet it has the volume and richness to coat your palate in all its luscious glory. The whole package is explosive. This dessert wine is usually sold in a 750-milliliter bottle (with some 80,000 bottles made), but you can also find it in a smaller 375-milliliter bottle.

BIWA 2019: i 50 migliori vini d’Italia

Die Trauben stammen aus der Contrada Montelaguardia bei Randazzo: eindrückliches Bouquet mit Noten von Himbeeren und Kräutern. Im Auftakt kompakt, geschliff ene Gerbstoff e, die Säure ist im Einklang mit der mineralischen Salzigkeit, das virile Finale komplettiert den optimalen Eindruck.

Luminous golden-orange. Perfumed and precise honeyed aromas and flavors of cane sugar, peach, mango, papaya, passion fruit and dates. Suave, very sweet and rich, with a dense yet light on its feet quality, this boasts a long finish that features notes of peach and honey. An outstanding Ben Ryé that strikes me as less fragrant but more suave than some recent vintages. Ben Ryé is one of Italy’s five or ten best sweet wines every year and it’s safe to say this year’s version will not harm its reputation any.

Ian D’agata

Luminous deep red. Knockout nose offers tangy red fruits, minerals and porcini complicated by Oriental spices and broom. Conveys an impression of superb concentration but also of nonpareil refinement, boasting the uncanny combination of tactile presence and deep luscious pristine red fruit, aromatic herb and stony flavors. A wine of great length and potential with a penetrating steely quality and with lots of fruit lurking in the background. This is the first vintage of Donnafugata’s new top of the line Etna Rosso and it’s a beauty. It undoubtedly helps that the grapes come from the Montelaguardia contrada, one of the lesser known but terroir-wise, one of the of the very best Etna contradas of all.

Ian D’agata

Luminous dark ruby. Flinty small dark berries, licorice and minerals on the nose and in the mouth. Clean and fresh, with a steely spine; finishes long, clean and vibrant, with a mineral bent. I like this.

Orange peel, pure red plums, sour cherries, tangerines and a ton of lemons. Medium-to full-bodied with great density on the center palate, but really refreshing acidity to carry this through to a long finish. Very impressive and a new wine from this producer. Drink now or hold.

A heady nose, but one that shows composure with dried violets, roasted herbs, cherry compote and plum purée. Full body, ripe and juicy tannins and a medium-chewy finish. A blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Drink now.

Best Sweet Wine category