Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliane IGT “Il Passo” 2022 – Vigneti Zabù

To produce the Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliane IGT “Il Passo” Vigneti Zabù, the grapes were dried naturally on the vine in the hot Sicilian sun. After about 20 days, the grapes had lost about 20% of their water content and the sugars and flavours had become very concentrated. They were then harvested, pressed and underwent a long maceration on the skins. Fermentation was carried out on the skins in stainless steel vats at 22-24°C. The wine was kept in stainless steel vats until the end of the malolactic fermentation, which took place at 20°C. The wine was transferred into new French oak barrels, where it was aged for four to six months.

The Vigneti Zabù vineyards were planted in 2005 on the hills around Lake Arancio in Sambuca di Sicilia in southwestern Sicily. The uncontaminated area is perfect for viticulture and has many ancient vineyards. Lake Arancio, with its crystal-clear water, creates a perfect microclimate for viticulture. Vines are planted at 400 metres above sea level on clay soils with good water retention capacity, which helps to sustain the vines through the hot Sicilian summers.

The Vigneti Zabù vineyards, located in south-western Sicily, caught the eye of talented winemaker Valentino Sciotti. Valentino (of Gran Sasso and Vesevo) saw that they had great vineyards and a good winery, but were missing the necessary expertise to make wines that the market required. Valentino and Sicilian winemaker Giuseppe Alfano Burruano took the already high-quality raw materials and transformed them into attractive, drinkable wines.