Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/776532
january/february 2017 / the tasting panel / 65 G rillo is an amazing variety—it's a white grape in a black dress." I found myself wanting to pause my conversation with Stemmari's seasoned winemaker, Lucio Matricardi, to linger over that notion for a brief moment, but Matricardi continued at a brisk clip, his thick accent demanding my focus. For centuries, Grillo has been cultivated as a high-yielding and sturdy workhorse, prized for its ability to withstand the baking heat of Sicily's Mediterranean summers. Thick skins rich in anthocyanins have made it an ideal grape for the production of Marsala, where it contributes structure and volume rather than finesse. "The clusters develop this beautiful gold and amber color," Matricardi explains. "It means the grape skins have a lot of tannins. So in the winery, we have to be gentle. If we press too hard, the wine will be aggressive and rustic." Matricardi ferments the free-run and press juice fractions separately; typically he bottles 60–70 percent of the total volume of Grillo they harvest. "We only put the best in the bottle; we don't need to worry about the second tier of quality." His interpretation of Grillo is fresh and harmonious, with alluring papaya and white peach, and citrus anchoring more ethereal notes of white flowers and salty sea air. And while there is perceptible texture and structure on the attack, it serves as a backdrop, allowing roundness and a more subtle mineral aspect to shine through. That minerality and saltiness, Matricardi notes, is more pronounced in Grillo planted in sandy soil. "When we arrived in Sicily, we found a lot of poor vineyards. The trellising, the vineyard spacing, and the pruning was all wrong. Everything was about volume." The team set to work. "People want to drink Grillo that is elegant and PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEMMARI Grillo on the vine. "