SICILY

18
Terroir
Unforgettable
flavours
Tuna fish, salt, pastries,
oil and excellent wines…
Between Marsala and
Trapani, an explosion
of flavours to be tasted
to the full.
by Guido Montaldo
The Province of
Trapani, in the
North-Western part
of the Island, is the
largest vine-growing
area of Sicily, where
the history of wine
mingles with myth.
In ancient times it
was host to the most important Phoenician
and Carthaginian ports and colonies. Many
notable remains can still be seen today,
such as the archaeological sites of Mozia,
the ancient Phoenician market in the lagoon
of the Stagnone, opposite Marsala, and
Unesco Heritage Sites such as the Greek
temples of Segesta and Selinunte.
Marsala, known as Lylibeo in the days of the
Carthaginians, is the symbol of this land’s
vocation. It became precious when, at the
end of the 18th century, the English made
it the largest basin for the production of a
sweet wine, similar to sherry, which took its
name from the coastal town.
Among the most celebrated of wines,
Marsala, a liquorish wine unique of its kind
for its complexity and for the number of
typologies produced, ranging from amber
to gold and the unusual ruby, from dry to
sweet, from fine to mellow, is ambassador to
a territory that has witnessed an authentic
oenological renaissance in the last twenty
years, leading to a major oenological
innovation: Grillo, the traditional grape
cultivated for Marsala, is processed with
suitable techniques to create a white wine
A panorama of the island
of Favignana 33 km of rugged coastline
and rich in caves and grottos.
Tasting Sicily n.01/2013