Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/391696
{ SOMMjournal.com } 67 Baglio di Pianetto, Sicily Founder Count Paolo Marzotto believed in the unique ter- roir of Sicily and the elegant style of Bordeaux. Today the second and third generations of the Marzotto family carry on this vision. The Pianetto estate, with vineyards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Insolia, Catarrato and Viognier, is located on a mountain in Santa Cristina Gela near Palermo. The vineyards fall under the Monreale DOC. They also produce wine at their Baroni estate in Noto, in the Siracusa province, in southeastern Sicily. Nero d'Avola matures beautifully there, along with Frappato, Syrah and Moscato. The winery complies with European legislation for environ - mental sustainability, specifically by using a photovoltaic sys- tem, by water purification and recycling, and by organic meth- ods for cultivation and vinification certified by Eco Gruppo. "Baglio di P ianetto has always aimed to become a 'green wine,' says CEO Alberto Buratto. "To cure and protect the environment it is essential to search for a process of develop - ment that is sustainable and allows us to offer products that are healthy and of excellent quality. Cantina di Pianetto has always shown a particular focus on reducing energy consump- tion, both as regards the construction of the facility as a whole, and as regards production processes with related technolo- gies that support them. A gap all around the cellar and guar- antees a barrier to maintain temperature and humidity and save energy on air-conditioning. A cellar structured on four floors allows the use of gravity, with two major advantages: protecting the wine and saving energy. The project allows the steady recovery of a precious resource—water—with the construction of a basin for the collection of rainwater and a purifier to recover cellar water for irrigation use. In 2011 we achieved autonomy in terms of electricity production through the development of a photovoltaic plant." Vineyards at Baglio di Pianetto. SUGGESTED WINES Baglio di Pianetto 2013 Ficiligno Insolia-Viognier, Sicilia ($19) Baglio di Pianetto 2011 Shymer Shiraz-Merlot, Sicilia ($20) Baglio di Pianetto 2007 Cembali Nero d'Avola, Sicilia ($38) VINVINO (NY)/TERRAVINO PARTNERS (CA)/ WINES LLC (OH) A dramatic view of organic vineyards at Barone Montalto. Barone Montalto, Sicily Marco Martini and Paolo and Rosario di Maria founded Barone Montalto in 2000 in Santa Ninfa on the west coast of Sicily. Vineyards surrounding the winery here in the seaside province of Trapani are planted to Grecanico, Cataratto, Grillo, Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The estate also works with vineyards down the coast in Agrigento for Nero d'Avola, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, and in Noto on the southeast tip of the island for Nero d'Avola and Moscato di Noto. Enrico Gobino, Barone Montalto Marketing Manager, says, "Sicily normally has dry summers and nice sun expo - sition, which make the organic cultivation easier than in Piemonte for example." The estate uses not only glass bottles, but also bag in box and very lightweight recyclable one-liter PET (polyeth- ylene terephthalate) bottles. Gobino says, "PET is an inno- vative approach to wine. It is well received as long as it's a quality container, meaning that the quality of the wine is not compromised by its packaging. The PET needs to have several layers—at least three—that guarantee low perme- ability to oxygen. This packaging is well perceived in those markets that have a certain environmental awareness, such as Northern Europe. Considering that an empty PET bottle weights an average of 50 grams, compared to 500 to 600 grams of glass bottle, this format is also well accepted in travel retail, airline catering and outdoor events. We are presenting this format to the U.S. market." SUGGESTED WINES Bio Nero d'Avola, Terre Siciliane IGT ($10) Bio Cataratto, Terre Siciliane IGT ($10) PHOTO COURTESY OF BARONE MONATLTO