We have been very lucky with absolutely stunning weather and Thursday was no exception as we headed south to the historic Noto region. Noto acquired its DOC in 1974 and has long been recognised for the quality of its Moscato and Nero d’Avola.
Our first stop was to the Marabino estate which set up in 2002 and follows both organic and biodynamic principles. Elia took us round the vineyard nearest to the winery where we saw at first hand the incredibly soft sandy soil and the albarello trained vines. Even since last week there had been a lot of growth. Into the courtyard and we witnessed the amazing demi-johns of Moscato sitting outside in full glare of the sun. The Moscato forms a darker pigment to protect from the light and the wine is a controlled oxidative style which is fortified up to 16%.
Into the tasting room and a terrific line up of wines was on show. Pure Moscato and pure Nero d’Avola showed the quality of the estate and we finished with their Uvalsole – the aforementioned fortified Moscato which was absolutely delicious!
From Marabino it was literally five minutes to drive to Tenuta La Favola – another family owned estate with a long history in the area. Sebastian hosted our visit as we took in the sweeping views and inspected the historic winery. A five wine/five pairing dish tasting ensued with garlic bread, olives, salami, cheeses, couscous, spinach pie and chocolate all pairing with their wines. Fortunately it was only 2.30pm when we left so plenty of time to get hungry for dinner.
Dinner was a grand occasion at Regina Lucia – one of Siracusa’s top restaurants. Situated right on the Duomo it is a beautiful place to dine and a wonderful dinner was enjoyed. A selection of fishy creations was the beginning of our journey, followed by red prawn and Amberjack, a stunning seafood tortellini, a slice of Croaker fish and two sublime desserts – all washed down with some Etna Bianco and Etna Rosso.
A fitting end to our tour!
