WTI Magazine #59    2015 May, 1
Author : Jennifer Gentile Martin for www.vinotravelsitaly.com      Translation by:

I had received some samples from Prestige Wine Imports on the wines of Stemmari, amd I recently sampled one, 2012 Stemmari Dalila. It's a wine made of 80% grillo and 20 % viognier that is aged in French oak for 8 months. The winery's name, Stemmari, originates from the root "stemma", which correlates to the coat of arms that is displayed at the winery that was once used by nobility during the 17th Century, according to Prestige Wine Imports.

The Stemmari winery is located in the town of Acate in the Ragusa province of Sicily located in south eastern Sicily. The Stemmari brand and Feudo Arancio are one in the same if you have heard of both names. Owned by one of the wine giants in Italy, Mezzacorona, the Stemmari brand is a large exporter to the US. Their portfolio of wines include single varietals like nero d'avola, chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and even a sparkling grillo. Yes, I said sparkling grillo. Can't wait to try that one! They even have some blends as well as the Dalila wine I'm sharing with you today.

The 2012 Stemmari Dalila bottle as you can tell from the picture is beautiful. Having played classical piano for 10 years I was a big fan of the music notes on the label with the classic gold trim. Yellow in color with a hint of green this wine was a medium bodied wine and rich on the palate with intense tropical fruit combined with nice acidity. It had similar expressions to a chardonnay with a hint of oak. Definitely a meatier white wine with good body. With Sicily's intense heat and sunny days it's no surprise the ripeness of this wine.

There is great story or rather a "romantic idea" behind the name of this wine, Dalila, and the label that Stemmari shared with me. The music notes on the label actually go to a song that describe the love story between the daughter of the owner who had owned the winery, Dalila, and one of the workers, Cantadoro. One of the other wines from their portfolio is named Cantadoro as well with the similar label. I know many people buy bottles based on the label and this is one of those bottles that's eye catching and to have a story follow it like that, how can it not intrigue you?