Wine Club: Island Wines
EM DRINKS WINE
For this month’s wine club, it’s time to break out your most tropical of shirts, grab a beach chair and relax, because we are now on island time. The wines for this month come to us from the islands of Corsica, Sicily, and The Canary Islands. We may not be able to take a vacation to any of these places this winter, but we have the next best thing, their wines!
Saludos
Wine Club: 2 Bottles
Domaine Santamaria Patrimonio ‘Tranoi’ Corsica France • Grenache
Domaine Santamaria Patrimonio is located on the island of Corsica. This beautiful mediterranean island is less than 3,400 square miles, but is home to some of the most delicious wine in the world. Thomas Santamaria, the head of the winery, is a 6th generation producer. The Santamaria family owns 30 hectares of vines and have always maintained a pesticide and herbicide free farm.
Thomas’ wine program maintains two levels of production. The first tier of cuveés are the Tranoi wines. These wines are Vin de France, meaning wine of the country, and they adhere to low intervention practices. The Tranoi rosé is 100% grenache and is spontaneously fermented in stainless steel. The grapes are considered “direct-press” which means that immediately after their harvest, the juice is pressed from the grapes. The soil that the grenache was grown in was schist, a hard dense rock soil that is full of minerals. This is apparent, as there is a streak of minerality running through the wine. On the palate this wine has notes of strawberry, raspberry and watermelon. I would enjoy this fine rosé as an après wine or with any light vegetarian or vegan fare, like roasted zucchini, corn, and tomato tacos.
Cantina Marilina ‘Sikele’ Sicily Italy • Grecanico
Located on the Italian island of Sicily, Cantina Marilina is a family operation. Father, Angelo Paternò, has worked in the winemaking business for decades and, as of recently, has handed the reins of their vineyard over to his daughters, Marilina and Federica. The two sisters practice low intervention winemaking with an emphasis on biodiversity in the vineyard. On their farm they grow a wide variety of grapes including Nero d’Avola, Grecanico, Muscat Blanc, Moscato Giallo, Insolia, Merlot, Tannat, Viognier, and Chardonnay.
The family completed the construction of their wine cellar in 2009, which consists of big concrete tanks that they use for long periods of maceration. The wine bottles and labels used for production are 100% recycled, which is not something you see everyday and demonstrates the Paternò family’s dedication to sustainability.
The Sikele wine itself is 100% Grecanico. The wine sees 13 days on the skins, which imparts amber hues to the wine and gives it a good tannin structure. On the nose, this wine has notes of lemon, pine, and almond. On the palate, there are notes of peach and orange with a hint of ginger and a bit of briny saltiness on the finish. I would pair this wine with any white fish or chicken, as well as a seat on the patio on a hot summer afternoon.
Wine Club: 3-4 Bottles
Bodega Las Bermejos ‘Listán Negro’ The Canary Islands Spain • Black Ribbon
Los Bermejos winery is located on the 800 square meter island of Lanzarote. This island is a part of the eight main islands that make up the Canary Islands. Lanzarote was formed by a 6 year volcanic eruption in the 18th century. Today, 40% of the island is registered as protected land.
The name Bermejo in Spanish means red and references the “vermilion”, or reddish-orange sands, that are located under the volcanic soil of the vineyard. This volcanic soil absorbs and retains water extremely well, and the ash retains heat, even when the temperature fluctuates. Also unique to the island are the holes in which the vines are planted called “hoyos”. Due to the deep layer of volcanic crust, the holes are dug so that the vines can access the nourishing organic material underneath. There are also rock walls that surround these holes that protect the vines from the ferocious wind on the island.
Los Bermejos was founded in 2001, but farming in the area dates back over 200 years. What Los Bermejos vineyard does well is their honor of tradition and incorporation of new technology. Alongside traditional winepress machinery and country homes, there is state-of-the-art equipment to help out with their volume of production.
The bottle we have from Bermejos this month is the Listan Negro, also known as the Black Ribbon red grape variety. This wine was aged for 5 months in new oak from the Allier forest. This wine is structured while at the same time not being overly tannic. On the palate, we get tasting notes of dark rhubarb, raspberry bramble, and allspice, with peppery and smokey notes as well. I would pair this wine with a nice ribeye or hanger steak.
Lamoresca ‘Nero’ Sicily • Nero d’avola
Husband and wife team Fillipo Rizzo and Nancy of Lamoresca met in Belgium, while Fillipo was running his own restaurant with an emphasis on natural wine. After deciding to leave the service industry and begin his career on the agricultural side of things, Fillipo followed his familial ties to Sicily. Fillipo and his farm hand, Gaetano, are the only physical laborers on the farm. They tend to the vines on the 11 hectares all by hand. On the farm there are old vines of nero d’avola, grenache and nerocapitano (aka: frappato). There are also the rare vermentino corso and roussanne white grape varieties as well. None of the vines are ever treated with pesticides or chemicals, and the wines never have any unnecessary additives.
The Lamoresca Nero is 100% nero d’avola and is a powerful red wine. On the palate the wine has a spiced note of black liquorice or anise, as well as earthy grippy tannins. We also get notes of cherry, spiced strawberry and orange peel on the fruit side of things. I would pair this wine with the Pappardelle we have on the menu at Cork right now. Any big exciting pasta, duck, or wild game dish you could think of would pair well with this superb wine.
