Thursday took us south of Siracusa to the Noto DOC region and two excellent wineries awaited us.
Our first stop was to the family owned winery of Marabino. They set up in 2002, having bought one historic old vineyard and then planting new vines on much of the rest of the land. Their focus is very much on organic and biodynamic production using the classic local grapes of Nero d’Avola and Moscato.
We were hosted by Ana and Elia who showed us round with great enthusiasm and passion. The soils in Noto are very pale and sandy and this reflects in the wines and thus added to the dimension of Sicily that we have experienced over the past three days.
Marabino are quite innovative and as well as the expected amphora in the cellar, they have been making oxidative Moscato by leaving the wine outside in demi-johns. It made their Baglio courtyard look a bit like an art work!
A great tasting ensued of various incarnations of Nero d’Avola and Moscato and we made our way round the corner to Tenuta La Favola.
La Favola is another family owned estate with history going back five generations. Sebastian hosted our visit and discussed the family history, showed us the stunning views over the vineyards and took us back in time with look at the old winemaking kit the family used to use. We then sat down and enjoyed a wonderfully simple yet tasty pairing light lunch. Garlic ciabatta, olives, salami and cheese, aubergine couscous, spinach pie…….it was all delicious!
And for once, I felt we would have enough room for dinner.
Which was just as well as our final night dinner was a gastronomic feast at one of the top restaurants in Siracusa – Regina Lucia. Situated on the Duomo it has a magnificent position and we dined extremely well. A clever selection of antipasti, prawns, amazing seafood pasta, a fish main and two desserts.
We rolled back to the hotel!
