First up, this is a skin contact wine, so expect it to taste different. There's some minerality here: something stony or claylike. But there's also some sherry-esque dryness.Then you've got layers of nuttiness (almonds or hazelnuts), some lemon or orange citrus, and finally some apricots and honey in the background. Yes, please!
Cantina Marilina is run by sisters Marilina & Federica Patern ó, having taken over the family vineyard purchased by their father in 2001. Benefitting Sicily's climate, they opt for low intervention winemaking techniques. These include using concrete tanks, drying grapes in the sun and extended skin macerations. (This is the time that the skins and other solids spend in fermentation vessel, usually only for red wines).
In our eyes, Sicily is one of the leading regions for skin contact wine. But there's a wealthof wine beneath it. With reds, nero d'avola, frappato, and nerello mascalese reign. While catarratto leads with whites.Traditionally a bulk region, only one-fifth of all wine made is bottled on the island. But as time has come on, a revolution has slowly been bubbling away.Sicily is a large island and its 23 DOCs and single DOCG encompass many styles as a result.
We did not write trivia for this wine.
Before wines are fermented they're crushed, which breaks the skins away from the grape juice. Typically, in white wine production, unlike red, the skins are removed. With skin contact wine (or orange wine), the skins are left in for fermentation. Skins bring colour, tannin and texture. Therefore, skin contact wines have more complex textures and mouthfeel than most white wines. Think of it as the opposite of a rosé, where red grapes have skins removed very quickly.