Sicilian Selection

Due to persistent requests, finally here's a Friday night event. Wines from Sicily have long been among my favorites, so I found an assortment of pleasurable wines that should provide a good intro to the island's different grapes and regions. Cannoli hope for the best!

Dinner will be at Yasouvlaki, a gigantic newly opened Greek restaurant on the UWS (original branch in the UES), and is a new addition to the group's dining venues. I'm excited to try their food.

Here is their menu.

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

** The cost of this event is $35 and is for the cost of the wines and corkage fees.

You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 30% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert). There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a low corkage fee.

Cancellation policy - If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $10 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines

# Rose - 2023 Feudo Montoni Rose di Adele (Agrigento)

Grape: Nerello Mascalese Alc: 13%

Certified organic. Aged on the lees in cement tanks for 6 months.

"An inviting pale salmon pink colour, this rosé is crisp and refreshing, perfect for sipping on a warm summer evening, but it also has enough going for it in terms of body and flavour to accompany a serious meal. There are notes of fresh apricot, peach, a touch of strawberry and some salinity on the nose, which read as delicate cherry, apricot and blanched almond on the palate. Well balanced with lively acidity and a lingering finish." (Decanter 91pts)

# White - 2023 Centopassi 'Giato' Bianco (Palermo)

Grape: 60% Grillo, 40% Catarrato Alc: 13.5%

Centopassi is the winemaking entity of Libera Terra cooperatives that cultivate land confiscated from the mafia in Sicily. So you are helping to ensure Don Corleone and the Costanzas never come back! Certified organic, aged in steel vats for 4 months.

Named Best Value-for-Money Wine in Sicily in the Berebene 2025 guide by Gambero Rosso

"A formidable Sicilian white wine that is dry and fresh on the palate. The freshness is thanks to high elevation vineyards. The grapes were hand-harvested, vinified and bottled unoaked. A natural match with anything from the sea." (Astor Wines)

# Red - 2023 COS Frappato (Vittoria)

Grape: Frappato Alc: 12.5%

Sicily's most affable and chillable red is perfect for summer. It has soft tannins, its bouquet oozes notes of lavender and rose, it has a mouth-watering acidity, and most of all, it is refreshing. Serve it with a slight chill. It’s an easy-drinking red that can be paired with so many foods.

"Perfumed and floral, the 2023 Frappato mixes geranium and violet tones with nuances of blood orange and blackberry. Lifted and graceful in style, it offers juicy acidity and crisp wild berry fruits that add lovely tart tension toward the close. The 2023 tapers off long and fresh with a perfumed, flowery resonance that lingers.." (Vinous 93pts)

# Red - 2022 Donnafugata Cerasuolo di Vittoria Floramundi (Vittoria)

Grape: 70% Nero d Avola, 30% Frappato Alc: 13%

From Sicily's only DOCG. Aged for about 7 months in tanks and then in the bottle for at least 9 months. Donnafugata is known for its colorful wine labels as well, and here is the story behind Floramundi's.

"Floramundi is deeply floral and perfumed, with a core of wild berry fruit complimented by geranium and dusty rose. Inner sweetness is offset by bright cherry and blackberry, while a tinge of sour citrus adds tension towards the close. The finish is gently tannic and classically dry, leaving a resonance of blue and purple florals that linger." (Vinous 91pts)

# Red - 2015 Calabretta Vigne Vecchie (Etna)

Grape: 98% Nerello Mascalese & 2% Nerello Cappuccio Alc: 14.5%

Yup, it's from 2015. Aged for 7 years (!!) in huge Slavonian oak casks.
Calabretta is one of Mount Etna’s last great traditionalist estates, and its wines are a true gift for those who appreciate classically made Italian wines.

The Vigne Vecchie (Old Vines)shares the firm structure and energetic drive of traditional Barolo but with the silken texture of classical Burgundy. And perhaps Etna’s most distinctive calling card, its volcanic mineral character, rings through with vivid clarity.

"The 2015 Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie is simply stunning, erupting from the glass with a burst of crushed black cherries, cloves, blood orange and hints of dusty earth. This is soft-textured, nearly fleshy in feel, with a core of tart red berry fruits offset by sour citrus as rosy inner florals form toward the close. It finishes with staining length and concentration, just lightly structured, leaving a sensation of hard red candies to fade. " (Vinous 93pts)