Bonavita 2021 Rosso, Faro DOC

Vine Age: 10 to 80 years; the oldest vines are planted in alberello style, the younger are trained in espalier system.

Viticulture: Bonavita practices organic farming. There is no use of chemical fertilizers, no use of herbicides and no use of insecticides. A supply of organic matter through green manure of legumes and grasses is added to promote soil health. Prudent green pruning interventions are used to limit the pesticide treatments carried out at low doses of copper and sulfur to the strictly necessary. Excess bunches are thinned only if necessary.

Winemaking Notes: Grapes are manually harvested in early October. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeast; no sulfites or other additions are used. Maceration on the skins is long, a minimum of 20 days up to 60 days, in stainless steel. The wine ages for 24 months in a mix of large 30-hectoliter oak barrels, cement and stainless steel. It rests for another year in bottle before release. Please note that Giovanni Scarfone is constantly buying new barrels and vessels for his Faro DOC wine to play with the wine's texture and structure. It is not produced the same way each vintage, and the large oak barrels are rather new to his process.

Tasting Notes: Nerello Mascalese is very tannic and light in color with good acidity; its aromas are spicy and balsamic. It is the variety best suited to aging. Nerello Cappuccio is important in the blend because it is rich in color and sugar with perfumes of ripe fruit. Nocera is an indigenous grape variety cultivated only around Messina with little sugar and pale color but rich in acidity and therefore very important in giving freshness to the wine.