Curatolo Arini, Marsala Vergine Riserva

Curatolo Arini, founded in 1875 by Vito Curatolo Arini, is run by the family’s fifth generation, making it the oldest family-owned Marsala producer still in existence. Alberto Antonini is the consultant winemaker here. His influence is evident in the wines, combining the richness that Sicily can easily provide with the freshness only someone with Alberto’s experience can retain.

Both the Inzolia and Cataratto are sourced from vineyards planted around 500 metres above sea level in the Chirchiaro area, near Salemi. After destemming and crushing, the grapes are macerated for a few hours before being softly pressed and fermented in stainless-steel tanks. After fermentation, both wines spend three months on their lees before bottling, resulting in fresh and vibrant expressions of these Sicilian grapes, with beautiful aromatics and a clear sense of place. The ‘Gagliardetta’ single-vineyard Zibibbo (aka Muscat of Alexandria) is grown in vineyards in the western part of Sicily, just inland from Marsala. It is a dry, aromatic style which pairs perfectly with food.

The Nero d‘Avola grapes come from vineyards in central Sicily, in the province of Caltanissetta. The vineyards here are planted 500 metres above sea level, where the combination of warm days and cool nights helps produce vibrant and fruit-driven red wines.

The Marsalas are made traditionally and offer a great alternative to Sherry. Ernesto Basile, a famous Palermo architect in the latter part of the 19th century, designed the stunning Art Deco label. The Marsala Fine offers an expressive dry style with delicious notes of citrus peel and toasted almonds. The Marsala Superiore Dolce uses base wines made from the Sicilian grapes Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto, and is aged for five years in cask. The Superiore Riserva blends the same grapes but is aged for a further five years (ten years in total), resulting in a rich, aromatic and heady wine. The Marsala Vergine Riserva, is a single-vintage Marsala, only produced in the best vintages. 100% Grillo, it is aged for 10 years in a combination of French oak barriques and Slavonian oak casks and has beautiful length and complexity.