Carlo Pellegrino Passito de Pantelleria

Pantelleria Island, Italy
$25-30 for 375ml +563825 available at BC Liquor Stores & Private Stores

www.carlopellegrino.com

A pretty common holiday scenario: friends over for dinner, perhaps impromptu, you’re all indulging in the merriment of the season, you want to uncork something a little special for post-sup conversation and lingering over cheeses. Everyone expects port, icewine is expensive, so why not surprise with a little gem from this Italian island 100 km off Sicily?

It’s my belief that dessert wines are incredibly underrated. Carlo Pellegrino certainly agrees with me. He has invested considerable resources – monetarily and timely – to revive the tradition of southern Italy’s famous dessert wines. Founded in 1880, the Pellegrino family farms stretch for more than 300 hectares, and use grapes from over three hundred growers across the island. This fortified dessert wine, made from a minimum of 20% naturally sun-dried grapes, is Italian Zibibbo, akin to Muscat of Alessandria. The elegant and honeyed nectar is dense with golden raisins, perfumed quince and dried apricots. There’s a floral and spicy tangerine theme throughout. The palate is juicy and lush, with good acid to balance, and the finish lengthy with wafts of butterscotch. Hello fruitcake! Or enjoy any time of year with soft cheeses and dried fruits.

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Carlo Pellegrino Passito de Pantelleria DOC

This fortified dessert wine, made from a minimum of 20% naturally sun-dried grapes, is Italian Zibibbo, akin to Muscat of Alessandria. The elegant and honeyed nectar is dense with golden raisins, perfumed quince and dried apricots. There’s a floral and spicy tangerine theme throughout. The palate is juicy and lush, with good acid to balance, and the finish lengthy with wafts of butterscotch. Hello fruitcake! Or enjoy any time of the year with soft cheeses and dried fruits.