Aldo Viola, Catarratto/Grillo/Grecanico "Biancoviola" Sicily, Italy 2018

Aldo’s namesake wine blends three white varieties, each with varying durations of skin contact: 45% of the wine is Catarratto pulled from fermentation tank after three days of maceration; another 45% is Grillo removed from tank after four weeks of skin contact; and the final 10% is Grecanico pressed immediately after harvest.

The vines grow on Alcamo’s Timpi Rossi (“Red Hills”), in soils of iron-rich sandy clay at altitudes up to 1000 meters above sea level, and Aldo bottles the wine with a trace of added sulfur after 18 months in stainless steel. “Biancoviola” displays its macerated nature delicately, with the skin contact expressing itself in an amplification and elongation of texture rather than any sort of overtly tannic presence.

The wine is a natural, juicy white wine with aromas of citrus fruits, aromatic herbs and saline touches. On the palate it is elegant, juicy, delicate and fresh.