Vino di Anna Palmento Bianco 2023

Palmento Bianco is Vino di Anna's island white wine made from organically farmed, indigenous Sicilian white grapes grown in four distinct terroirs across Sicily. Lemon-lime in colour, this wine from a cooler vintage has attractive aromas of white flowers and citrus. The palate is crisp and dry, with plenty of lemon and grapefruit flavours, refreshing acidity, and a sapid, mineral finish.

The blend is 40% Carricante sourced from high altitude vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna in the contrada of Crasa, 30% Inzolia organically grown on limestone clay soils in Vittoria in the south-eastern part of the island, 20% Grillo from the 'terra rossa' sandy soils of Marsala rich in minerals, and 10% organic Catarratto hand-harvested on the rolling hills surrounding Alcamo in the northwestern corner of the island.

All of the fruit is hand-harvested by the Vino di Anna team and brought to the winery on the northern slopes of Etna near the village of Solicchiata for processing. Each variety is treated differently to extract its unique character – the Inzolia is whole bunch pressed and fermented in used oak, adding lifted floral notes and textural structure. The Grillo is hand de-stemmed and macerated for 4-5 days to extract texture and flavour from the skins. The Catarratto is macerated for 48 hours, while the Carricante is direct pressed. Each variety ferments with indigenous yeasts to dryness, undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation, and is blended together before bottling without fining or filtration.

Vino di Anna is a small, family wine estate situated on the north face of Mount Etna, Sicily. Anna Martens and Eric Narioo have been making natural wines together on Mount Etna for nearly 15 years. Today, with a team of locals, they cultivate organically eight hectares of terraced land by hand. They make a range of minimal intervention wines that focus on energy, respect for nature, and reflection of terroir.

Serve it well-chilled with seafood, grilled fish, pasta with light sauces, or fresh cheeses. This is honest, characterful Sicilian white showcasing the diversity of the island's terroirs and indigenous varieties.