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INZOLIA MENFI DOC

Fresh and pleasant like the briny wind blowing from the Mediterranean, this Inzolia comes from young vineyards planted in Tenuta Belicello and is a charming white wine that offers pure Sicilian pleasure at every sip.

Bright straw yellow with a greenish hue, the wine has a fresh and charming bouquet of pear, broom and almond blossoms that melt into lush and intense scents of white peach and fine herbs.

On the palate, its juicy taste of white ripe fruit is well balanced by a pleasant acidity and an intense saline finish.

THE SHORT STORY

Grape variety: Inzolia grown in Tenuta Belicello, Vigne in Costa
Soil: clay soil with calcareous components, very rich in limestones and sea minerals
Vineyard: planted in 2007, vertical shoot positioning, Guyot
Winemaking technique: soft pressing after 36-hours skin contact, in stainless steel tanks
Alcoholic fermentation: from a pied-de-cuve of wild yeast
Malolactic fermentation: spontaneous
Refining: for 2 months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks
Average production: 14.000 bottles/year

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MORE ABOUT INZOLIA

Inzolia is a very traditional Sicilian grape variety.
Historic evidence suggests that Inzolia has been introduced in Sicily between the 8th and the 7th century BC by Greek people migrating from their mother land to Western Mediterranean, and that the modern variety that we cultivate today has evolved from the original Greek clones after crossing with local vines grown since the Bronze Age by Elymians and Sicans, the native peoples of Western Sicily.

Inzolia is a vigorous vine, it is resistant to drought and it can live and produce in highly saline environments: those main features make Inzolia the ideal grape to be grown along the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, where this variety finds the best terroir for a perfect adaptation. It is no coincidence that Inzolia is also present in Tuscany, mainly on the Isola del Giglio, which micro-climate is very similar to the Sicilian one.

Read the long story

To be fully honest, Inzolia grapes grown at the seaside taste very different from those cultivated on the hills: along the coast, in the narrow strip of land where the influence of salt is at its peak, Inzolia is able to absorb the sea brine from the air and from the soil, and its flavor is enriched by pleasant savory notes that can compensate the variety's innate low acidity. The wines made closer to the ocean are infact smoother, fresher and very tasty, and represent the best expression of this unique grape.

This grape variety is so well linked to Menfi's terroir that it grows spontaneously on the beach: it's fascinating to see its extraordinary adaptation during your morning walk along the Mediterranean shores.

VINEYARD LA COSTA

I created this vineyard of Inzolia in 2007, by grafting old fruiting wood picked in Dietro le Case vineyard onto new rootstocks: a careful massal selection that aims to preserve the ancient genetic material that has lived here for 100+ years.
This "old school" way of propagating vineyards offers long-term benefits of increasing quality and uniqueness in wine.

The microclimate in Tenuta Belicello offers ideal conditions for growing Inzolia vines: the property is located about half a mile from the ocean and its Eastern area is made of calcareous and very deep soils, with a good quantity of limestones and an excellent mineral presence that enhances the grapes’ aromatic complexity.
Furthermore, the vineyard is protected from the Northern winds and opens to Southern and Western winds coming from the Mediterranean that blow away the surplus humidity, thus preventing mildew and other fungus diseases.

WINEMAKING

The Inzolia in Menfi is so unique and tasty thanks to the sea breezes: the vineyard absorbs a high level of sea salt from the air and the terrain and perfectly adapts to this particular microclimate, reaching a balance that every vintner should protect and exalt to fully express the potential of terroir.

Harvesting at night, when the grapes are crisp and crunchy, is the best way to preserve their fresh aromatic expression and to minimize oxidation phenomena.
I pay the utmost attention to a very fast and non invasive winemaking: the grapes are destemmed immediately after the harvest; after a few hours of pre-fermentative skin contact, the must is softly pressed and then decanted at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks.

Fermentation is performed exclusively with a wild yeast pied-de-cuve prepared a few days before the harvest.
The wine is refined on its fine lees for about 3/4 months and is then bottled without any fining additives that may alter its unique personality and expressive taste.

FOOD PAIRING

Drinking Inzolia is one of the most satisfying pleasures a white wine can offer. Either combined with your favorite daily catch from the Mediterranean, with a basket full of fried shrimps or a simple Spaghetti Marinara, Inzolia is just the perfect pair. Taste it also with fresh veggies, salads and steamed legumes slightly sprayed with extra-vrgin olive oil and two drops of lemon juice, and your healthy tasty antipasto or light lunch will be ready and yummy right away!

My suggestion for the braves? Try my orange salad with anchovies and artichokes, a traditional Sicilian dish that brings together sweet, bitter and briny notes in a colorful and playful wheel of taste that is absolutely delicious and very, very easy to make.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: 46 - 50 °F
Pour your Inzolia in classic white wine glasses, at fresh-but-not-chilled temperature: freezing a wine bottle is never a good idea, especially if you are drinking a natural wine, because ice-cold temperatures may cause tartaric precipitations that are not nice to see in your glass.
An easy tip to quickly refrigerate your wine? A large bucket, lots of ice cubes and 15 minutes of patience.

EASY MENFI

TERROIR

HAND MADE

TRADITION

TIVITTI

THE SHORT STORY

MORE ABOUT INZOLIA

VINEYARD LA COSTA

WINEMAKING

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