A Little Sicilian Grillo

It hasn't been any sort of conscious decision to make this Italy week or anything, but this is the third post in a row that's featured an Italian wine. And, much like the other two wines, we're heading into unknown territory. I might have recognized the Masi brand from last weekend and known of Barolo wines like our last bottle, but I know very little about Sicilian wines and even less about the varietal we tried tonight.

1056. 2010 Giacondi - G2 Grillo (IGT Sicily - Italy)

A basic search of the net didn't really reveal much about the Giacondi brand. I gather it is a label that is produced by "MGM - Mondo del Vino" a large wine conglomerate that sources and markets wines from a number of Italian regions. But that's pretty much everything that I found.

There's more information to be found about the Grillo varietal but it's hardly what I'd call well-known or commonly grown grape. Indeed, this bottle is going to give me another varietal to add to my Wine Century Club list. Grillo is primarily grown in Sicily where it's been popular for island winemaking because it's a varietal that withstand the high temperatures found there.

In years past - and still today - Grillo was used in the production of Marsala, the fortified wine that originates in Sicily and is made by a method similar to Sherry's solera system. It's becoming more common to find Grillo being made into a varietal table wine like this bottle or being blended with other, better known, varietals like Chardonnay. With a decent acidity and citrus notes, this was an easy-drinker - not unlike many other, basic Italian whites that you can find. It's not a wine that drives me to go out and find another bottle immediately, but it's nice to have an impression that I can refer back to should I run across more Grillo down the road.