Sicily
White Wine Pairings
White Wines
Any tasting in general will be more enjoyable when the wines are accompanied with food that enhances them.
First have wine and food of equal weight and second combine similar aromas or contrasting flavors.
We will be tasting 4 white wines:
Etna Bianco
Zibibbo
Passito
Grillo
Made from 3 grapes:
Carricante
Muscat of Alexandria
Grillo
Etna Bianco
Most “Etna Bianco” wines are blends containing predominantly Carricante. The “Etna Bianco” in the NTP 2022 is composed of 100% Carricante and provides a full expression of the grape. Its flavors are soft, mineral, peach, apple, lemon, white flowers, light anise, and light thyme. It pairs well with foods that benefit from its minerality such as grilled vegetables, shellfish, sauces with acid, citrus, vinaigrette or apple, grilled seafood or shellfish, and one of the most popular street foods in Sicily, arancini.
For the arancini stuffing, use something mild i.e. mozzarella, white mushrooms, and vegetables. The process for making the rice for this recipe is similar to the one used for risotto, only much simpler. Stir just enough to keep the rice from burning.
Zibibbo
Muscat of Alexandria (“Zibibbo”). The flavor profile is aromatic, with light notes of peach, kiwi fruit, ginger, honey, and lychee. It pairs well with mild fish, and chicken. In Sicily, the dry version is called Zibibbo. The name comes from the Arab word “ziti” meaning raisin.
Recipes for food to pair with Zibibbo are
Passito
“Passito” The word passito actually describes a process, not a grape variety. This wine has a pronounced grapey flavor, citrus, orange, and honey, Perfect pairings are orange cake and biscotti.
Here are some recipes for orange cake that pair beautifully with Passito.
Orange cake picks up the orange aroma in Muscat.
Orange-almond cake:
Zesty and Orange Almond Cake
Orange cake:
Grillo
This grape is a daughter of Muscat. Its grapey aroma and flavor is milder than in Muscat. It has lighter, more delicate flavors. Floral, citrus, lemon, grapefruit, thyme. The acid is higher. Therefore it can pair well with food that is a little creamier and richer than would pair with dry Muscat. Chicken is a great pairing for Grillo.
Boneless Chicken Breast:
Chicken tenders (but omit the garlic):