Mandrarossa Fiano

Winery: Mandrarossa

Varietal: Fiano

The Fiano grape is a truly ancient grape, which historians and archaeologists believe was one of the key grape varietals used in the production of a famous and much written about ancient Roman wine. There is also evidence to suggest it was cultivated by the ancient Greeks before them, making it one of the oldest grape varietals in the world. Whilst Fiano grapes are now grown successfully in Australia and elsewhere in the New World, their home remains in the region of Campania in Italy, where they thrive under the hot Mediterranean sunshine. The fruit is notable for its spicy character and strong floral aroma, and the fact that it produces wines which are a beautiful straw color It often holds flavors of dark honey and hazelnut, making it a fascinating and characterful varietal for wine production.

Region: Sicily

The island of Sicily is one of those wine regions which seems to be designed for the production of quality wines. Not only does it have extremely fertile soils, helped by volcanic activity of such peaks as Etna, but the climate is absolutely ideal for the ripening of beautiful grape varietals, with almost year-round sunshine and cooling sea breezes. Sicily has been using such factors for growing grapevines for thousands of years, and is a truly ancient wine region steeped in tradition. Wineries on the island make a wide variety of wines, which are much loved for their ability to express plenty of exciting fruit flavors and sunny, tempting aromas, but Sicily is most well known for the dessert and fortified wines based around the port town of Marsala.

Country: Italy

Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.