Wine Tasting - Southern Italy

WASP (Wine Appreciation Society, Penrith), Roundthorn Country House Hotel, Penrith. Thursday 28-August-2025.

The tasting was presented by Adam Ventress of Chapel Street Wines, Lancaster (https://www.chapelstreetwines.co.uk/) who specialise in southern Italian wines. Only a slight case of "coals to Newcastle" however, although we spend half the year in southern Italy and have tasted a number of these wines, there is always something new to learn and new wines to meet.

The Whites.

Wine, Region, Grape variety, ABV, Price.

• Presenter's description
• Colour and/or aroma
• Mary's notes and Star rating

.

Centopassi Giato Grillo/Catarratto 'Ondapazza' 2024, Western Sicily, 60% Grillo 40% Cataratto, 13%, £16.50: 

• Grillo is the grape variety often used for masala. Many of the vineyards are on land seized from the mafia and sold off by the government. Small cooperative with 75 members south of Palermo up in the hills producing 500,000 bottles per year.
• Pale lemon, green/grassy, fresh, lemony
• Dry, good acidity, slight lemon, slight pepper. ✱✱

Ippolito Ciro Bianco 'Mare Chiaro 2023, Calabria, Greco Bianco ,13%, £16.50: 

• On the Ionian coast with sandy soil. Oldest producer in the region family owned since 1845. Harvested in two stages - an early harvest plus a later one.
• Pale lemon, deeper nose, apple, perfume/aromatic
• Apple, spice, smooth, tasty. A lovely wine. ✱✱✱

San Marzano Timo Vermentino 2024, Puglia, Vermentino, 12.5%, £14.50: 

• Cooperative originally founded by 19 producers now with 1,200 members with 1,500 hectares, 13 million bottles per year. An unusual grape for this area
• Slightly darker lemon, light nose, thyme
• Light, some acidity, fresh, nothing distinctive on the palate. ✱

Vitesse. Colomba Bianco 2023, Western Sicily, Zibibbo, 12.5%, £13.50: 

• The name Zibibbo comes from the Arabic for raisin and is the grape used in Moscato di Pantelleria (a sweet wine). Huge cooperative with over 2 1/2 thousand producers producing a wide range of styles and types. They have 12 ranges with over 100 different wines!
• Darker; oily, apricot kernels, some green, paint
• Less distinctive flavour, good, smooth, slight acidity, less dry than the others. ✱½

The Reds.

Occhipinti SP68 Rosso Frappato/Nero d'Avola 2023, Vittoria Sicily, 70% Frappato, 30% Nero d'Avola, 12.5%, £28: 

• Members of the AAA Organic Association, produced using indigenous yeasts.
• Dark mahogany, very deep nose, pruney, digital.
• Soft tannins, dark fruit, good acidity, very balanced/smooth, pure, good length. A new producer to us, this was our favourite red. ✱✱✱

Colomba Bianca Vitese Nero d'Avola 2024, Western Sicily, 100% Nero d'Avola, 12.5%, £13.95: 

• The most planted great variety in Sicily.
• Dark purple; fresh, dark fruit
• Smooth, elegant, plum, slight vegetable/herby, medium body. ✱✱½

Poderi Parpinello Cannonau di Sardegna San Costantino 2023, Sardinia, 100% Cannonau, 14%,  £19.50:

• Cannonau also known as Grenache  
• Purple; lovely nose, dark fruit/plum/blackberry.
• Soft tannins, light acidity, good balance, dark fruit. Good length, medium body, light style for this grape. ✱✱

San Marzano Talo Primitivo 2022, Puglia, 100% Primitivo, 14%, £17.95: 

• Cooperative. Classified as a Primitivo di Manduria. They harvest bunches with mixed grape ripeness.
• Dark, dark purple; ripe dark fruit
• Lovely flavour, smooth, not too sweet, dark ripe fruit, good length. We know this producer and both liked this Primitivo - even Mary as it was not too sweet. ✱✱✱

As usual there was a buffet at the end however we usually eat beforehand to line our stomachs. At the end there was the usual beeline for the remainders. Luckily tastes differ so we were able to get a glass of our favourites. Mary won a bottle in the raffle and we bought a couple bottles of our favourites to take home. 

So we tasted some new wines and learnt lots more about the Southern Italian wine industry.