Catarratto / Zibbibo
NB x TN 2021
Tanca Nica x Nino Barraco

Grape Variety: 95% Catarratto, 5% Zibbibo

Producer: Tanca Nica (Francesco Ferreri & Nicoletta Pecorelli) and Nino Barraco collaboration

Region: Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy

Wild Scale: 5/5

Vegan friendly wine

Winemaking: Organic Catarratto grapes in Marsala, Sicily were hand harvested and fermented with indigenous yeast. The wine was then re-fermented with sweet Passulata wine from Pantelleria to bring about a second fermentation in bottle. No filtration, fining or added sulphur.  

This Wine: Incredible sparkling wine from a collaboration between two of the best names in Italy. This is a dedication to the straight of Sicily made by combining Catarratto grapes at one end from Nino's vines in Marsala with Zibbibo grapes at the other end grown by Francesco & Nicoletta. Complex and unexpected flavours of smoked apricot, bruised banana, soy sauce, brioche and a hint of chocolate! This has almost every dimension possible in a wine. Very small production.

Notes on the Winemaker: Tanca Nica is the natural wine project of Francesco Ferreri & Nicoletta Pecorelli who farm just 3 hectares of vines the small and remote island of Pantelleria. Located off the coast of Tunisia, the island is party of Italy and boasts Sicilian cultural traditions. The wines from Tanca Nica are wild but precise and complex, displaying all the signs of sun baked land and Mediterranean influence. 

Nino Barraco is a natural winemaker in Sicily who has is dedicated to showing that his home region of Marsala is not all about sweet and fortified wine. He showcases the strengths of local grape varieites sich as Grillo and Catarratto by producing intense, dry wines that instantly evoke a sun-baked, Mediterranean vibe.