Michael Roddy’s March “it WINE”

Sicilian Di Giovanna 2016 Helios Rosso           

 

With the current smash hit series "White Lotus" streaming on HBO, everyone has fallen in love all over again with the beauty of Sicily! For me, it's become part of my soul---no, no, no....that's my Sicilian wife!! Whew!

 

However the series brought me back to the remarkable history, friendly people, amazing food and beautiful wine of this ancient island. We have been lucky enough to have been there on four occasions...and can't wait to return again as soon as possible! We'll never get enough of it. With this writing, I bring you to the western side of Sicily and as you travel south from the unruly city of Palermo,,,but before you reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of eight ancient Greek temples known as the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento-  hometown of Paesano's own Italian language instructor, Salvatore Bisaccia...where you will stumble across 12 world class vineyards in this Province of Agrigento. Specifically my favorite there is owned by the Di Giovanna family. Theirs is a small independent vineyard and they are one of the oldest families making Sicilian wine on the island. What shows immediately is their passion and dedication to their well organized grounds and their organically cultivated vineyards, trusting only to hand pick their grapes from a vineyard that features 50 year old vines. For this month, I present you with the Di Giovanna 2016 Helios Rosso red wine. A blend of 70% Sicilian Nero d' Avola and then just for fun, they added 30% Syrah- all from this incredible spot on this beautiful island. It is a dark, rich and delicious wine with a deep purple tinge, a floral scent that gives way to black cherries, sweet spices and earthy notes. Now 7 years old but in 2018 it was awarded 93 pts. from the well known wine critic, James Suckling and I feel that it's only gotten better by 2023! I love that it comes in with a medium body but quickly gives you a chewy texture then smooths out with a wonderfully long finish. In coming from 50 yr old vines, they produce a very small quantity of approx 6000 bottles.

 

Named after Helios, the Greek God of sun- it represents the height of the efforts that this family goes through to produce such quality every season. I feel that Sicily is very "in" right now because of the very talked about popularity of "White Lotus" and with everyone seeking out all things Sicilian....I present you with the perfect wine to accompany all of them.... 2016 Sicilian Di Giovanna  Helios Rosso... take a bottle home for $28 and save on the airfare.