Wine With Wanda

Sun, Soul, and Song: Savor Sicily with the Wines of Donnafugata

When exploring wines, José Rallo, CEO and Co-Owner of Donnafugata
encourages everyone to "Discover Sicily. Trust Sicily. You'll be in Sicily with just a sip!"

For the season finale of Wine With Wanda on Instagram Live, I wished for a vibrant, charming, and clever guest, who also makes beautiful wine. 5th generation vintner José Rallo was the obvious choice. CEO & co-owner of the award-winning Sicilian winery Donnafugata, José is a savvy businesswoman with the soul of an artist.

When José is described as the face and voice of Donnafugata, they really mean it. A talented vocalist, José believes in the synergy of wine and music, and her communications strategy includes events such as the "Donnafugata Music & Wine Live" events. José has recorded two CD's and performed around the world at prestigious venues, including the Blue Note in New York City.

Donnafugata was founded in 1983 by José's parents, Gabriella and Giacomo Rallo, and her brother Antonio is the winemaker. Donnafugata is celebrated for their terroir-driven style that expresses an authentic taste of Sicily and the Sicilia DOC. I visited Donnafugata in 2017; it was a magical experience.

Watch the video above, on Instagram, or YouTube to learn more about Donnafugata and to hear José sing a lovely snippet of the jazz song An Older Man Is Like An Elegant Wine. We also discussed the inspiration behind Donnafugata's bold artistic labels and the name of the winery: Donnafugata means woman in flight or escaped woman. 

During our chat, we sipped Donnafugata Sur Sur Grillo 2019 Sicilia DOC ($21) and Donnafugata Mille e Una Notte 2016 Sicilia DOC ($85).


Sur Sur is the first Donnafugata wine that I ever tasted and this sentimental favorite never disappoints me. Crafted from the native Sicilian grape Grillo, this is a beautifully textured and aromatic white wine. Juicy flavors of peach and melon are revved up by mouthwatering minerality and salinity. A sultry sip of Sicilian sunshine! 

 

First produced in 1995, Mille e Una Notte is Donnafugata's flagship wine, and José describes it as the dream of her father Giacomo. The name Mille e Una Notte was selected by her mother Gabriella -- when she tasted the wine for the first time, she told her husband that it was like the powerful literary masterpiece A Thousand and One Nights. A velvety and rich blend of Nero d'Avola, Petit Verdot, and Syrah; it is a big but graceful wine with gorgeous flavors of black fruits, herbs, and earth. Stunning now, classic and elegant Mille e Una Notte is crafted to age beautifully. 

Drinkability & Authenticity: Digging Deep Into Mandrarossa Wines from Sicily with Consulting Winemaker Alberto Antonini

"I believe that drinkability is at the center of quality."
Alberto Antonini, Consulting Winemaker, Mandrarossa

A few months before COVID-19 forced our retreat into socially distanced bubbles, I had the pleasure of meeting with renowned winemaking consultant Alberto Antonini. We had never met before, but I certainly didn't need an introduction. For years, Alberto's name had popped up during my wine studies; I would often drink a wine that I enjoyed and discover that he had consulted on its creation.

 A native of Tuscany, Alberto has worked with some of Italy’s most celebrated producers, including Frescobaldi, Antinori, and Col d’Orcia, but he’s really the world’s winemaker. For more than 20 years Alberto has consulted for top producers in Italy and beyond, including Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Portugal, Canada, Uruguay, Australia, and Armenia. 

I recently reconnected with Alberto on Instagram Live to taste the wines he consults on for Mandrarossa in Sicily. Located in the southwest of Sicily, in the historic town of Menfi, Mandrarossa was founded in 1999 and Alberto has worked with the winemaking team from the beginning. An important part of his work has been devoted to identifying the top estates within Menfi’s micro terroirs to produce Mandrarossa’s premium line of estate-bottled wines. 

Watch our chat by clicking the video above, visiting IGTV, or YouTube to learn more about Alberto's fascinating career and winemaking philosophy. Committed to crafting textured wines with drinkability, Alberto never wants to impose his signature on the wines. Instead, his goal is to make wines that reflect their true essence, not the hand of the winemaker. 

During our chat, we tasted two wines from the Mandrarossa portfolio. 



Mandrarossa Bertolino Soprano Sicilia DOC 2017 (Grillo) $42.99
Alberto said that Grillo is often described as "Sicily's Chardonnay". I've sipped a fair amount of Grillo over the years, and have always enjoyed its fresh and lively nature, but Mandrarossa takes Grillo to the next level. I never knew that Grillo had the capacity for aging and this was my first experience with Grillo that was more than a year old. This Grillo also spent time in concrete, steel, and oak. The end result is a beautifully textured and round wine that is full but not bulky and retains Grillo's vibrant and fresh citrus flavors. There's a delicious hint of salinity in this Grillo that calls to mind Sicily's sultry Mediterranean breezes. 

Mandrarossa Terre del Sommacco Sicilia DOC 2016 (Nero d’Avola) $49.99
Nero d'Avola is Sicily's most famous red wine and every winemaker approaches it in a unique way. Alberto's approach does not obscure the freshness and beauty of the grapes. This is an impressively fresh and graceful Nero d'Avola that epitomizes Alberto's commitment to drinkability. Aged in stainless steel, concrete, and oak, it is silky and very approachable without sacrificing complexity. Beautiful red berry and black cherry flavors get extra oomph from hints of herbs and minerality. Gorgeous vino! 

Get Swept Away to Sicily with the Wines of Donnafugata!

 

I have yet to set foot on Sicilian soil but my taste buds have traveled there courtesy of Donnafugata wines. One of Sicily's most respected wineries and celebrated throughout Italy, Donnafugata was founded in 1983 by the Rallo family - a visionary family with 160 years of experience in producing premium wines. The patriarch of the family, Giacomo Rallo, passed away just a few months ago; but his wife Gabriella, son Antonio, and daughter José are carrying on the Donnafugata legacy.


Siblings Antonio (winemaker) and José (communications manager) are carrying on the Rallo family's Donnafugata legacy.
image courtesy of Donnafugata

Donnafugata's portfolio includes an impressive array of wines that vividly express the terroir of Sicily and the passion of the Rallo family. To get started, I recommend two Donnafugata wines that are perfect for steamy summer days and nights - SurSur and Sherazade. But consider yourself warned - the name Donnafugata literally means "woman in flight".  After a glass or two, you may be inspired to hop the next flight to Sicily!



Donnafugata SurSur 2015 Grillo Sicilia DOC ($20)
SurSur is a sunny and vibrant expression of Grillo - one of Sicily's most important white grape varieties. The playful name SurSur means cricket and comes from Arabic, which was once spoken in Sicily. Like an energetic cricket, this refreshing wine leaps across the palate with juicy flavors of white peach, grapefruit, and tropical fruits with an appealing hint of herbs and crisp minerality. A lovely way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day, SurSur is an elegant apéritif and a fantastic match with light seafood and vegetable dishes.



Donnafugata Sherazade 2015 Nero d'Avola Sicilia DOC ($20)
 I invited a dear friend to share this lovely bottle of Sherazade and I drank way more than my fair share - blame it on the vino, it was delicious! Nero d'Avola is Sicily's most important indigenous red grape and has a reputation for producing big and bold wines. Sherazade is quite different and shows the playful and more approachable side of Nero d'Avola. Named after the protagonist of the literary classic One Thousand and One Nights, Sherazade is fruity with silky tannins. A wonderful summer red, serve Sherazade slightly chilled to really capture its juicy flavors of red cherries with touches of orange peel, cranberry, and spice. Pair with rich pastas, pizza, salumi, and baked fish. 



winery images courtesy of Donnafugata

If you're planning a trip to Sicily, Donnafugata welcomes visitors for tours and tastings. Until then, fill your glass and let their wines transport you. Cheers!

 

Sipping Sicily: A Conversation with Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais of Tenuta Rapitalà

  "If you drink Rapitalà, you are drinking Sicily from a French point of view."
Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais, President, Tenuta Rapitalà 

Charmingly referring to himself as the "first blend" produced by his Sicilian mother and French father, third-generation winemaker Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais of Tenuta Rapitalà is a serious wine producer with an endearing sense of humor.

One of Sicily's most important wineries, Tenuta Rapitalà is truly a marriage of cultures. In 1968 French-born Count Hugues Bernard de la Gatinais married Gigi Guarrasi from Palermo - Laurent likes to say that his mother imported his father to Sicily! His parents inherited the Guarrasi family estate that had been destroyed by an earthquake and together they rebuilt the winery and replanted the vineyards. In 1976, the first harvest destined for bottling was made and Rapitalà was the first winery in Sicily to plant French grapes like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Rapitalà means "Beautiful Garden of God" and the elegant and expressive wines they produce live up to this celestial name.



 
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Laurent and captured our conversation on video. Watch the video to hear Laurent describe his family's legacy and the terroir & winemaking style of Tenuta Rapitalà. Featured in the video are three wonderful wines from the Tenuta Rapitalà portfolio.

Tenuta Rapitalà Grillo Sicilia D.O.C. 2014 ($13) is an absolutely delicious white wine that is produced from Sicily's indigenous Grillo grape. The same grape used to produce the fortified wine Marsala, Laurent describes Grillo as a "coin with two faces." A refreshing white wine with great acidity and minerality, Laurent describes Grillo as a great summer wine that is on the same flavor spectrum as Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, and Albariño.


Tenuta Rapitalà Campo Reale Sicilia D.O.C. 2014 ($13)
Laurent describes Campo Reale as the "true flavor of Nero d'Avola." Unlike many winemakers that overripen this red grape to produce very aggressive wines, Tenuta Rapitalà picks Nero d'Avola when it is fresh, but not too ripe, to produce a more graceful wine that displays spiciness, balsamic notes, ripe red cherries, and gentle tannins.


Tenuta Rapitalà Nadir Syrah Sicilia D.O.C. 2013 ($17)
Laurent describes Nadir as "very deep, as if you were diving into the flavor of the Syrah." Rich and elegant, this complex wine has flavors of spices, berries, chocolate, and coffee. Powerful but controlled, Nadir is a beautiful introduction to Tenuta Rapitalà's artful approach to international varieties.



If you're planning a trip to Sicily, Tenuta Rapitalà welcomes visitors (reservations required.) I promise that you will enjoy some truly beautiful wine and if Laurent is there, you are guaranteed to laugh!