Imagine a thread, an invisible thread made of flavors, of emotions, of sensations, of scents, that unites our wonderful territory, Franciacorta, to a distant and equally wonderful country, Sicily, to be precise the area at the foot of Mount Etna.
Or rather, if we want to be really precise, a small strip of land on the eastern slope of Etna, a place where the soil, of volcanic origin, allows the cultivation of native grapes: nerello mascalese, nerello cappuccio, carricante and catarratto. The former used to make red, rosé and sparkling wines, while the latter for white wines.
This thread, solid and at the same time impalpable, was stretched thanks to the meeting of 2 stories, of 2 incredible family experiences: that of Elisabetta Abrami, who gave life in Franciacorta to the winery that you now know well, and that of the Urzì family, from Sicily, in which seafaring and peasant wisdom merged, to create the Sciare dell’Alba winery.
This thread, strong and very long, has become even more solid thanks to a similarity: that between Pinot Noir – one of the noblest red grape varieties in the world, the king of grape varieties, the one we grow here, in our hill of Redigoli in Franciacorta and which is the basis of all our wines – and Nerello – which precisely in terms of sensitivity to the vintage and the territory it belongs to is reminiscent of Pinot Noir. In Elisabetta’s dream, now reality, the goal was to make a Franciacorta wine that was natural and organic. At the same time, Sciare dell’alba is in conversion to organic: a bond that becomes even closer, thanks to a precise path, dedicated to a cultivation that is increasingly respectful of the land and the cultivation itself.
This thread, unique and wonderful, has led to the birth of very strong bond, and has allowed, over time, to experiment with unique pairings, to make real journeys in taste, between two territories so different and so similar, between wines characterized by flavors that tell the stories of two countries so distant but united by the same passion, by the same desire to transform the earth into fruits and its fruits into something unique and incredibly characteristic, like the wines produced by the two wineries.
And thanks to this bond, events such as the tasting event organized by AIS in Milan last month at the Bettycuore restaurant were born, in which the culinary traditions of Franciacorta and Sicily met, mixed, and fused to give life to new, unusual flavors, in which the wines became accompaniments to dishes so distant in geography and, at the same time, so close, because of the Love with which they are cultivated, processed, and produced.
A wonderful dish of pasta with sardines, typical of the Sicilian culinary tradition, rich in flavor, in which the taste of the sea is strong and predominant, found its exaltation thanks to a Franciacorta by Elisabetta Abrami, the Rosé for example. A delicate pairing, with a wine characterized by good acidity and good body, able to support the flavor profile of a dish with such intense aromas, enhancing its sensory characteristics.
And a typically Franciacorta second course, beef in oil, was paired with a glass of Etna rosso from Sciare dell’Alba, a mineral and fresh wine, ideal for elaborate meat main courses.
So if it is correct to say that wines from a certain area have a certain affinity with local dishes, all the more so in Italy where each region has its own traditional cuisine and wine scene, it is also true that, thanks to an increasingly interconnected Italy, and world, it is possible to experiment with new pairings, between tastes and traditions of distant territories.
Combinations that give new value to local traditions, that do not betray them but rather enhance them. Combinations that are a journey of discovery of new sensations, new flavors, new emotions.
Combinations that we look forward to experiencing and that you too can enjoy by purchasing all our wines on the online shop.