It’s been almost 20 years since we visited Sicily but memories of that trip have remained with us. Not just the fabulous view from our room at one of the places we stayed (see picture above) but also a delightful tasting and meal at one of Sicily’s premier wine producers, Donnafugata. Their fabulous sweet wine, Ben Ryé, made from sun-dried grapes grown on the tiny neighbouring island of Pantelleria, which we tasted for the first time there, is still one of our favourite dessert wines, even if its scarcity in the UK (and the price now, close to £50 a half bottle) makes it a very rare treat for us these days.
But our memories of that tasting and lunch are such that, whenever we have seen one of Donnafugata’s wines on the shelves subsequently, we have usually bought it – and rarely been disappointed. Fortunately, they are a large company, with vineyards across Sicily, so we have had plenty of examples to choose from, including several at more everyday prices than Ben Ryé.
Our latest find was Anthilia (Wine Society, £19.50), a fresh, dry white made mainly from Catarratto with an assortment of other local grape varieties blended in. An attractive floral and citrus nose leads to a medium-bodied wine with flavours of melon, peach and nectarine and a lovely long dry herby finish. A good aperitif or to enjoy with fish or chicken in a light creamy sauce.
But what about the label? No piece about Donnafugata wines is complete without mentioning the eye-catching artworks that always adorn their labels. The picture is specially designed for each wine by local artist, Stefano Vitali, who has created more than 20 individual labels since he started working with the company over 30 years ago. Whether you like the designs or not (and they’re not to everyone’s taste!), you really can’t ignore them. And they make a unique selling point for those who have yet to taste an outstanding range of wines.
Wine talks and tastings 