The very tip of Trapani’s promontory, all salty air, islands on the horizon and fishing boats seems a long way from smoking Etna. Just the sort of place for rich and saline whites to help the freshest seafood along. What’s left of it in the Mediterranean anyway. Reading posts from Fishact, a German NGO, it seems industry regulation is not all it could be, particularly when it comes to swordfish size. There are resentments aimed at the EU rules among the struggling small scale fishers, including incredibly it seems a nostalgia for pre war days when shooting scavenging dolphins was encouraged. Sometimes wine and food politics collide to an uncomfortable degree. Maybe small catches from local boats may not be as damaging to stocks as theoretically regulated industrial scale tuna catches? So many conflicting arguments. Maybe we just eat less?
Anyhow, back to wine and one that would happily go with a vegetable pasta. The local supermarket across the street had this label in both Catarratto and Grillo versions and both the sort of well made, nicely ripe and satisfying thing that the less vaunted bits of Sicily do so well. Catarratto seems to have good rich lime, citrus, local cedro perhaps, and sweet green herb flavours. There’s a saline tang and large scale ripe acidity to cut. Brings me back to thoughts of the sea. The Grillo version is more yellow fruits, stone fruit and an estuarine waft that brings good unfortified Palomino to mind. Bit of judicious skin contact brings some depth of flavour in both. There’s that Groove Armada song, “if you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air”. Oh hell, yes. Well done Mustazza, good versions amongst a few that have been too green, too made or a too much residual in sweetness.
12.5% alcohol. Diam. €12.
91 points both Catarratto and Grillo.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 