Grillo !?!
In my quest to become a member of the Wine Century Club, I have a fan and supporter, Marshall Wehr, who is one the most knowledgeable wine people I know. Recently, to help me reach my goal, Marshall gave me a bottle of the Feudo Arancio Grillo. I guess he was confident that I had not had this varietal. He was right. I am glad that he did drop this off for me to try, as it is a pretty pleasurable wine varietal—so Marshall—thank you!
Grillo ("Greel-loe") is a Sicilian white grape variety used to produce full bodied wines. It is a variety so ancient that it was used in one of Julius Caesar's favorite wines, the sweet, luscious Mamertino of Messina.
In more recent centuries, Grillo was the primary grape of Marsala, a strongly fortified wine from western Sicily. In the 1950's, the Sicilian wine industry sought to upgrade its image by planting "new and different" varietals and Grillo enjoyed a brief resurgence and was planted widely. Recently however, Grillo lost its "popularity" and has been replaced by more familiar varietals, with plantings falling to a relatively small 5,000 acres in the 1990's.
Much of the Grillo produced today still goes into Marsala. Now and again though, it exceeds expectations and produces a wonderful tasting white wine all on its own. The 2007 Feudo Arancio Grillo is just such a wine.
The 2007 Arancio Grillo, as you can see, is "straw colored". On the nose I got some wonderful pineapple, lemon and a bit of banana. On the palate, the Grillo has a rich texture, with tastes of lemon, mango and a bit of "wet rock". This wine held up very well with the spicy wings I had it with and would pair wonderfully with salad, chicken and shellfish. Grillo is a little more available than you might think, you just have to look for it. The price point is also very approachable coming in somewhere between $10-$13. Go get it and expand your palate! Cheers!
Grillo ("Greel-loe") is a Sicilian white grape variety used to produce full bodied wines. It is a variety so ancient that it was used in one of Julius Caesar's favorite wines, the sweet, luscious Mamertino of Messina.
In more recent centuries, Grillo was the primary grape of Marsala, a strongly fortified wine from western Sicily. In the 1950's, the Sicilian wine industry sought to upgrade its image by planting "new and different" varietals and Grillo enjoyed a brief resurgence and was planted widely. Recently however, Grillo lost its "popularity" and has been replaced by more familiar varietals, with plantings falling to a relatively small 5,000 acres in the 1990's.
Much of the Grillo produced today still goes into Marsala. Now and again though, it exceeds expectations and produces a wonderful tasting white wine all on its own. The 2007 Feudo Arancio Grillo is just such a wine.
The 2007 Arancio Grillo, as you can see, is "straw colored". On the nose I got some wonderful pineapple, lemon and a bit of banana. On the palate, the Grillo has a rich texture, with tastes of lemon, mango and a bit of "wet rock". This wine held up very well with the spicy wings I had it with and would pair wonderfully with salad, chicken and shellfish. Grillo is a little more available than you might think, you just have to look for it. The price point is also very approachable coming in somewhere between $10-$13. Go get it and expand your palate! Cheers!
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