Viaggio Tra i Grandi Vini di Sicilia
From Cosa Bolle in
Pentola:
If you follow wine you likely know that Sicilian wines have
improved tremendously in quality over the past 10-15 years, and now are
attracting a great deal of attention from both the wine press and from
out-of-region winemakers, who are investing heavily. Carlo Cambi Editore has
recently published a beautiful book assembled by Andrea Zanfi, who drove close
to 20,000 kilometers in the course of getting to know the winemakers behind the
renaissance, and Giò Martorana, who took pictures of it all.
The book begins with an introduction by Attilio Scienza, on of Italy's foremost enological researchers, followed by a few words from Andrea and quick comments by some of the island's leading enologists. And then there are about 45 profiles of winemakers, all of whom Andrea visited at their wineries -- he visited more, but found some wanting -- talking about everything from production philosophy to what the grandparents did, while Giò prowled about taking pictures. There are also detailed profiles of specific wines from the estates, with info on production area, grape types, planting density, pruning style, good vintages, bottle photos and more. Andrea visited both established producers, including Tasca D'Almerita, and Florio, those who may have been at it for just as long but are only now gaining the attention they deserve, for example Baglio Hopps, whose English ancestors began making Marsala in 1811, and Donnafugata, and newcomers, including Rallo and Planeta, one of the wineries that is now getting the most attention.
It's a fascinating book, engagingly written, and Andrea does a fine job of rendering the personalities involved, while Giò's photos will have you calling your travel agent to arrange a trip. They're that good, and that varied, and would make the Italian edition worth considering if there weren't an English edition too.
- Practical things:
- Viaggio Tra i Grandi Vini di Sicilia
- Hardcover and oversize, about 300 pages with hundreds of photos
- By Andrea Zanfi, Photos by Giò Martorano
- Published by Carlo Cambi Editore, 2003
- ISBN of the Italian Edition: 8888482105
Looks Good! I'd like to see the Order Form.