Italia Oktober 2005 Bjørn Bang Fjørtoft

Italia Oktober 2005 Bjørn Bang Fjørtoft

Fokusområde - Sicilia

Most of the island's surface is mountainous and hilly At 3342 meters, Mount Etna is the highest peak

Litt om Sicilia Største øya i Middelhavet, og har mer plantet vinmark enn noen annen region i Italia Produseres feks. dobbelt så mye vin som i hele Australia! Grekerene anla vinmarker på Sicilia i det 8 årh. f. kr. og Romerne utvidet produksjonen Herfra bredte vinkulturen seg nordover til resten av Italia og Europa Koperativene står for over halvparten av den totale produksjonen, men andelen synker stadig.

Fakta om vin på Sicilia Italias 3-mestproduserende vindistrikt(etter Emilia Romagna og Puglia) ca 6-7 mill hektoliter per år. Hvitvin er dominerende med 60% og Catarattodruen er den mest plantede. Lav prosentandel er DOC-viner, men er økende. En betydelig andel av produksjonen går til RCGM(Rectified concentrated grape must) som brukes til enrichment el Chaptalisering

Sicilias Druer Røde druer Nero d Avola(også kalt Calabrese) Frappato(Kanskje Gaglioppo) Nerello(Mascalese og Cappucio) Primitivo Perricone(Pignatello ) Hvite druer Carricante Cataratto Grecanico Grillo Insolia(Ansonica) Malvasia Zibibbo(Moscato)

Sicilias viner Marsala Robuste kraftige røde(nero d Avola primært) Fyldige og ofte fete hvite viner laget på Cataratto/Grillo/Insolia ofte i blanding med Chardonnay Hetviner(Passito Liquoroso) og rene Passitoviner av Moscato/Zibibbo/Malvasia Bla Moscato di Pantelleria DOC Andre DOC bla Etna rosso, Alcamo, Contessa Entellina, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Eloro m.fl.

Sicilia vinkontinet

Sicilias vinkontinent

Sentral vest

Sør øst

Nord øst og Etna

Øyer rundt

Planeta

Planeta drives av den yngre generasjonen i familien Planeta, Sicilias fremste vinfamilie. Far i familien; Diego Planeta, har vært president i kooperativet Settesoli i 30 år, og har stått bak produksjon av rimelig vin i millioner av liter. Med fars velsignelse har den yngre generasjonen derimot lagt listen svært mye høyere. Nye vinmarker har blitt plantet med både lokale og internasjonale drueslag, og vinmakeren Carlo Corino fra Australia ble ansatt. Med hans bakgrunn fra Australia er det ikke overraskende et oversjøisk preg på vinene, særlig på de mest eksklusive. Noen sier det minner om kostbar australsk vin, andre peker på California. I alle fall er det noe helt annet enn nesten alt siciliansk vin tidligere har vært. Resultatet har blitt viner i den høyeste klasse. 1995 var første året Planeta solgte sine viner på markedet, og de fikk positive omtaler fra dag én. Blant annet flere ganger «Tre Bicchieri» (Tre glass) i den italienske guiden «Slow Food/Gambero Rosso», og scorer 90+ både fra amerikanske Wine Spectator og Robert Parker. Planeta - den nye kultprodusenten fra Sicilia

The winery, built in 1995 and the first one of the Planeta family, is located near the town of Sambuca di Sicilia in Contrada Ulmo, by the shores of Lake Arancio. It is surrounded by vineyards also by an ancient olive-grove. The winery was newly built in line with the architectural style of the area and is divided into a ground floor and a basement. On the ground floor there are the de-stemming machines, the press, the steel tanks for fermentation, up to a total of 5000 hl capacity, and the bottling line. In the basement there is the cellar for fermentation and maturation in wood of Chardonnay and Fiano in 1200 barriques as well as a sophisticated chemical laboratory for analysis. Sambuca Ulmo

Sambuca Ulmo Today the winery is destinated to the production of only white wines. Close to the winery there is a "baglio" (typical Sicilian country house) from the XVIth century, where we receive guests and is also equipped with a tasting room. The 50 hectares of vineyards face north-west and slope naturally towards Lake Arancio and together with an olive grove, sorround the Ulmo winery. Mainly planted in 1985, the grape varieties grown are Chardonnay, Merlot, Grecanico, Nero d'avola, Sauvignon Blanc and since 1999 Fiano. The soil is of medium texture, from shallow to very deep; good presence of stones, slightly calcareous with sections of deep and vegetable matter. The microclimate influenced by the Lake Arancio, brings down the temperature favouring slow and perfect maturations of the grapes.

The "Dispensa" winery, built in 2001, is Planeta's second winery, named after the area where it is located, near the town of Menfi, in the province of Agrigento. In the forefront in terms of design and technology, the winery is surrounded by the largest vineyard planted. Dedicated to the vinification of red grape varieties the cellar is furnished with the latest fermentation and maceration systems in order to produce the best quality red wines from our vineyards. On the ground floor are the de-stemming machines, the press, the steel tanks for fermentation, up to a total of 4000 hl capacity, and the bottling line. In the basement we built a cellar for the ageing of wine in 1500 barriques. Menfi - Dispensa

Menfi - Dispensa 115 hectares of vineyards are located in Contrada Dispensa on mild, hilly land, near the homonymous winery. The vines grown here, planted between 1996 and 2003, are Nero d'avola, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Fiano, and other experimental varieties. In these vineyards we research and discover the grapes which we think will become the future of the Planeta winery. Depending on the outcomes of the vine-growing we plant new vines or top-graft the plants. Within Dispensa the soil is of medium fine texture, slightly deep and calcareous, with yellow and dark-grey clay containing few stones.

In 1998 we acquired a farm of 60 hectares in the area of Noto in the province of Syracuse, enchanted by the beautiful surroundings and convinced of the potential for quality wine production. The farm is located in an area historically named "Buonivini" and we hope it is not just a coincidence, Buonivini meaning "Good Wines"! Here we immediately planted 40 hectares of vines and we grow Nero d'avola and Moscato Bianco, the latter makes the D.O.C. "Moscato di Noto". The winery was open for the vintage 2003. It is a very innovative project, combining the technical requirements of modern winemaking with contemporary architectural design. It has been constructed completely underground to have the least environmental impact and the bold project, from an architectural point of view, creates a pleasent contrast with the gentle hills of easten Sicily and the pretty farm house. Noto - Buonivini

Noto - Buonivini Surrounding the winery Buonivini in Noto, we planted since 1998, 43 hectares of vineyards. Here we grow two important indigenous varieties: Nero d'avola and Moscato Bianco, the latter creates the D.O.C. "Moscato di Noto" wine. The microclimate, warm and dry, and the particular type of soil, calcareous limestone, with plenty of small stones and fine in texture with sections of light coloured clay, give to the grape distinctive and unique characteristics.

In 1997 on 17 hectares of land in the family propriety named Dorilli, in the area of Acate in the province of Ragusa we planted Nero d'avola and Frappato, an indigenous grape variety typical of this area. Starting from the 2001 vintage we have produced "Cerasuolo di Vittoria D.O.C." wine, a blend of these two grape varieties. In 2002, convinced that D.O.C. wines and the development on indigenous varieties are winning projects, we acquired a new estate, not very far from our original properties. Here we ve planted 20 ha more of Nero d Avola and Frappato and built a new winery with modern equipments. The beautiful old houses that surround the winery have been restored leaving the original style and are used for entertaining our guests. The first Dorilli vineyards, not very far from the new winery, where planted in 1997. Today we grow 37 ha in total and the varieties here are the indigenous Frappato and Nero d'avola. Vittoria - Dorilli

Vittoria - Dorilli The main characteristic of the area of "Cerasuolo di Vittoria" is a sandy texture soil, shallow and mainly composed of red loose sands, with hardly any stones. 90 cm below the surface lies a layer of tufa stone, an important feature to maintain the water balance of the vine. Vittoria's latitude and its red soil are unable to retain at night the heat absorbed during the day and these sudden changes in temperature along with the typical nature of the sands, lend to the Cerasuolo wines their unique character.

Smaking.. Kilder: Aperitif Planeta.it Jan Tore Oskal, Red & White Vinbladet, Vinnytt