Merlot by Planeta... a ruby red dream!

Dear Wine Lovers,

I was born in Milano, I know, but today I'd like to swan-dive into the heart of my family origins, the wonderful island of Sicily .

Some people relate the word "Sicily" solely to the one and only "Nero D'Avola" grape.

I love the "Nero D'Avola" grape for sure, but in Sicily we have a lot of others grape varieties, native and international; the soil of the "Kingdom of Sicily" has been trod on by Greeks, Romans, Arabians, Normans and many others... and that soil, now, is one of the richest in the world.

Associating Sicily only with Nero D'Avola grape is the same mistake foreigners make when they first meet us Italians... "Hey? are you from Italy? oh, yes, right... Pope? Spaghetti? Nice! Lasagni? Tarantell yeee!"

Isn't that pathetic?

Anyway, thanks to the sun, the island's earth and obviously to God, the Sicilian wine-businessmen are carving out an incredible increase in the wine-business industry. They are reaching some record-results in terms of quantity, quality and world celebrity. I Love that.

One of my favourite Sicilian grapes is the "Nerello Mascalese" and I'll get to that in one of the next reviews.

Today the focus is on one of the best wine-producer of the Sicily, the Planeta family.

Planeta is one of the biggest wine-manufacturers of the region, they have a lot of property all over the Sicily and accurately state on their website: "Planeta is a journey through Sicily. A journey from east to west".

I love the Planeta's wine lines, they are adaptable to any kind of situation, they are "romantic", fascinating and above all modern.

One of my favourite Planeta wines is the international "Merlot", 100% amazing and juicy. I've recently tasted a 2005 and went crazy for it. Dark, powerful and with a ruby dream colour that you'll never forget. Tasting this wine you'll sense hints of blackberry fruit, vanilla, chocolate, licorice and all the mineral notes that make a good Sicilian wine like this unique and unmatched.

I hope you find a bottle and try it as soon as possibile, you'll have a coast-to-coast journey of one of the best regions in the world, my lovely and wonderful Sicily.

You'll lose yourself in this glass, enjoy!.

Angelo D'Alessandro

thedeliciousworld@gmail.com

ps: And I've never played the Mandolino :)