Unique wines, with personality, character and clearly marked by territory. These are the premises formulated by Nino Barraco's winery, one of those which has made a bigger investment and to better effect in the organic production of its wines. Originating in Marsala, Nino Barraco's wines are some of Sicily's fundamentals, fruit of an entirely artisanal way of working, directed by Nino at each and every stage, from harvesting to ageing.
Organic management of the vineyard, spontaneous fermentation, with no added yeasts and without any temperature control, no filtering of any kind and eliminating almost totally the use of sulphurs, are the key elements which have given Nino Barraco's wines a character that's strongly marked by the territory and nature of the location.
Western Sicily's classic soils, rich in sand, clay and iron, endow the Nino Barraco wines with a real harmony of characteristic aromas: citrus fruits, spices, aromatic herbs, almonds, sage, honey... In addition to all that, a clear-cut and vertical minerality and a very long, bitter-edged finish, with a Mediterranean profile and marine hints.
Nino Barraco's Grillo originates from a vineyard which has special charm, growing on land of red earth covered with a fine layer of golden sand. Harvesting is carried out by hand when the grapes are perfectly ripe and afterwards are some days of maceration and manual crushing, wherein lies the artistry of the process. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts and, in contact with its lees, the wine matures for several months and thereby gains complexity, vigour and the capacity to age over the years.
Barraco, photographed barefoot in a vineyard which resembles a beach, actually defines the Grillo variety as “the king of the sand.” In fact, the vineyard in Castelvetrano is made up of a sandy dune with an underlying layer of clay soil. The bush-trained vines were planted almost half a century ago in 1975 at an altitude of only 10 metres above sea level, indicating clearly just how close they are to the Mediterranean and its infinite source of iodine and salts.
In the glass it offers a pleasant, deep yellow colour with golden glints. On the nose, the highlight is the complexity of its fruit notes (peach, apricot and tropical fruits), and others such as saffron, citrus fruits and almonds. On the palate it is complete, fresh and balanced, with a long finish that evokes again the aromas discerned on the nose. A wine which undoubtedly encounters its maximum expression when accompanying the starters and simple cuisine of Sicilian gastronomy.
