Tenuta di Castellaro – Lipari Islands, Sicily

The Lipari Islands are volcanoes forming part of the Aeolian Islands just north of Sicily. The warm and sunny weather and constant wind blowing in from the Mediterranean give these small islands a perfect climate for organic/biodynamic viticulture. The soils here are rich in minerals and give the wines an intense and vibrant minerality.

One might expect wines grown in such a warm and southerly climate to be full bodied and powerful, but this combination of cooling sea winds and volcanic soils makes them lighter, fresher, more elegant and even “Burgundian” in character.

The Estate’s most important wines – all biodynamic – are:-

Bianco Porticello – a fresh, lively, dry, unoaked, floral and apple-fruited white with salty acidity, made from 60% Carricante and 40% Moscato Bianco grapes.

Bianco Pomice – a medium to full bodied dry white with salty acidity and minerality. It is a fruity, structured and surprisingly complex blend of 2 local grapes – 60% Malvasia dei Lipari and 40% Carricante – which can develop in bottle for up to 10 years!

Nero Ossidiana – “the first great, classic red wine of the Aeolian Islands” – certainly this is the goal of the winery. It is a blend of 90% Corinto Nero and 10% Nero d’Avola; elegant and refined with notes of black cherry, spice and a smoky, volcanic minerality.