Marabino Soleggiato Perpetuo · IGT Terre Siciliane Sicily

Whilst not a sherry,  Soleggiato Perpetuo is  a Sicilian white wine made from Moscato Bianco grapes, sharing some striking similarities with sherry production, and Oloroso Sherry in particular. Produced in an oxidative style using a perpetual/solera-like system (blending vintages, with elements dating back years), involving sun exposure (grapes or wine in demijohns), barrel aging, and sometimes initial skin fermentation.

Marabino Soleggiato Perpetuo · IGT is unique with final aging in glass demijohns under the sun- it is a wine defies every oenological rule!

Grape: 100% Moscato Bianco (locally called Moscatedda)

Alc 12%

Serve as you would a white wine, and this wine stay fresh up to 5-7 days if kept airtight in a fridge. Matches spicy foods, smoked foods- and as an aperitif. Serve in a tuplic shaped glass for best effect.

Tasting: On the nose, complex and interesting aromas of dried fruit and Mediterranean scrub, gaining balance and aromatic complexity in an oxidative style thanks to the action of the sun. There is also pine resin hint. Completely dry, perpetual wine (non-vintage); palate/mouthfeel, balanced and deep, energetic with a slightly oxidative style, great softness and elegance. Slightly saline with fresh with an almost imperceptible oxidative nuance that invites you to drink while maintaining typical moscato notes

Marabino Soleggiato Perpetuo · IGT won't disappoint with final aging in glass demijohns under the sun- it is a wine defies every oenological rule!

Winery background and approach:

Marabino is the name chosen for the esate by founder Pierpaolo Messina when he established the winery in 2002. The estate also features Torre Marabino (Marabino Tower), which is now a wine relais/boutique hotel on the property. The Marabino project is located in the Val di Noto region, at the southeasternmost tip of the island of Sicily. 

Lead vigneron Pierpaolo Messina began his career as a winemaker through a stint living in Siena. While in the north, he observed the biodynamic practices of his Tuscan peers, where such farming methods were more common. When he returned to Sicily to set up shop, he was able to confidently apply all that he had learned to his own vines.
His 30 hectares of vineyards surround the winery and are divided into 18 distinctive parcels according to their soil types. The Ionian Sea is just a few kilometres away which tempers the intense summer heat. The cooling coastal breezes wash over the vines, helping to retain the fresh acidity that we find in his wines. His commitment to the earth is at the heart of all his viticultural and winemaking decisions. They grow olive trees and
orchards, which provide shade for the vines in this hot climate, while helping to preserve natural habitats for local wildlife. The winery has vowed to never use synthetic chemicals in either vineyard or cellar. Wild yeasts are used for every fermentation, and each parcel is vinified separately, allowing the true sense of place to shine through in the bottle.

Grapes are sun-dried on racks exposed to intense heat leading on to spontaneous fermentation with skins in steel tanks. Aging is in various types of barrique for 30 months and then transferred to steel tanks using the perpetual method (blending wines from multiple harvests) It is similar to sherry's solera system. Final aging in demijohns (glass carboys) exposed to the sun for about one year.

Sherry like in its oxidative character and complexity, it's technically a completely different style of wine - a uniquely Sicilian interpretation of sun-aged, oxidative winemaking.