Description
Region: Italy
Appellation: Sicily
Color/Style: Red, Medium Full Bodied
Grapes: Rare Red Blend
The symbolic wine of Maletto, obtained from grapes grown in a small vineyard at 1100 meters above sea level, where centuries-old vines grown with albarello coexist. A dozen different white (mainly Grecanico Dorato) and black (mainly Grenache) grape varieties vinified together, as no oenological practice teaches, but as local tradition dictates. After manual de-stemming carried out with the help of a perforated wooden frame made by an artisan, the grapes are gently pressed and macerated for a couple of days. Once the natural fermentation is completed, by indigenous yeasts, it is refined in concrete barrels and demijohns for about ten months and in the bottle for about six months.
Sonia Gambino was born in Bronte but raised in Milan. Her wine journey began fresh out of university with a degree in Gastronomic Sciences & a fiery enthusiasm to begin her post graduate life. On a trip to Piedmont, Sonia was inspired by legendary winemakers such as Maria Teresa of Bartolo Mascarello and Giovanni Canonica and decided to study viticulture at Montpellier University. Sonia was soon hired by Chateau Lèoville Las Cases, the famous Bordeaux estate, where she remained for a year in the role of assistant winemaker. After some time in Chile, she returned to Italy, where the call of the vines brought her back to her family home in Maletto.
In Sonia’s words, “When I arrived here, many told me ‘In Maletto there is nothing.’ But I found a treasure, made of uncontaminated and powerful nature, of an ancient and precious agricultural culture. Here I discovered centenary vineyards rich in almost lost varieties, colors, scents, energy, immersed in the woods and intertwined with cherry and walnut trees. I decided to become its ‘keeper,’ and transform its fruits into authentic, artisanal, and totally natural wines.”
