2021 Fondo Antico Versi Bianco, Terre Sicilian IGT, Italy (750ml)
About the Icons
Fun, young, this wine is a great aperitif expressing the varietals of three ancient Sicilian vines: Grillo, Insolia and Grecanico. On the nose the wine opens with notes of ripe white fruit given by Inzolia, together with fresher and more floral aromas given by Grillo, to finish with spicy notes coming from Grecanico. Even on the palate, Grillo gives structure and acidity, Inzolia sweetness and softness and Grecanico returns to the aroma with its typical spiciness.
The estate, owned by the Polizzotti-Scuderi family since the early 1800s, was originally dedicated to the cultivation of wheat and cotton. Around 1920 the first vineyards were planted and the family started to produce wine. From 1960 when Giuseppe Polizzotti took over the management of the estate, the annual harvest had been shared amongst the local wine cooperatives; but in 1995 he decided to stop and produce an estate wine—Fondo Antico was born. Tradition and heritage combined with knowledge of the terroir and state-of-the-art production techniques contributed the winery becoming what it is today; the estate boasts 80 hectares of vineyards planted to several indigenous varieties (Grillo, Nero d’Avola, Inzolia, Grecanico, Zibibbo), and a handful of carefully selected international varietals, all surrounded by prickly pears, olive trees and lemon groves.