Cantine Barbera, (Menfi) Sicily, Italy
A bit about winemaking + yeast: “I make my wines practicing organic farming and natural winemaking while paying utmost respect to Menfi's terroir. No herbicides or synthetic fertilizers are ever allowed in the vineyard, nor any other systemic farm chemicals that may alter the environment's integrity and its rich biodiversity. At the winery, I choose to work only with spontaneous fermentation and to adopt non-invasive winemaking practices, in order to respect the unique personality of Sicilian native grape varieties and the beautiful land to which they belong.
In the southwestern seaside town of Menfi, where the Belice River naturally flows into the deep blue Mediterranean Sea, is where you will find Marilena Barbera, more than likely with a big smile and always with deep eyes. Menfi is a hidden paradise: sandy dunes, dwarf palms, wild anise, rich culture, bright sunshine, and a fresh cooling breeze. Proprietor and winemaker Marilena Barbera was reared in this garden of Eden, her family has been grape producers for three generations. She is a passionate woman highly commitment to natural/sustainable viticulture that thoroughly respects the environment where she lives and works with her family and her many, many dogs.
While she still grows the ‘experimental’ grapes that her father chose over 30 years ago, Marilena embraces the region’s grape varieties with vigor: Inzolia, Grillo, Perricone, Nerello, Alicante and Nero d’Avola, these are hers. Marilena Barbera’s white wines tend to have an unmatched vibrant, zestful salinity. The mild winters and warm dry summers paired with the intense temperature ranges between night and day impart tasty, ripe berries with a touch of sweetness that smell of the land and sea. Marilena uses only indigenous yeast for fermentation- selected and reproduced in the vineyards. The wines do not contain GMO and have very low levels of sulfites. No tricks, no illusions just fabulous handmade wines.
Who: Marilena Barbera
Land: 14 hectares, 70 meters above sea level
Grapes: Grillo, Catarratto, Perricone, Catanese, Alicante, Nero d’Avola, Frappato
Appellation: Menfi DOC + Terre Siciliane IGT
Viticulture: Natural / Biodynamic = non-invasive winemaking practices
Production: 70,000 bottles
Marilena Barbera | ‘La Bambina Rosato’
Menfi DOC
Dedicated to strong women. It is a celebration of their power and energy, their tireless motivation in fighting for their beliefs, and their talent for problem-solving despite difficulties and complications.
GRAPE: Nero d'Avola
SOIL: Calcareous, rich in limestones
VINEYARD: established 2005: on skeletal and calcareous soils near the sea, facing east and west. Organic farming
WINEMAKING: Vin gris (no skin contact, soft pressing)
FERMENTATION: from a pied-de-cuve of wild yeast/ spontaneous
REFINING: on fine lees stainless steel tanks 5 months min.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Natural wine, Indigenous yeasts, organic wine, contains sulfites, from agricoltura Italia o EU
AVERAGE PRODUCTION: 7.000 bottles/year
La bambina, Italian: the baby. La Bambina—Marilena’s baby—is a pleasant expression of Nero d’Avola grapes, harvested at night to preserve its freshest delicate aromas. Its color is a pale, delicate copper with a touch of salmon rose. To the nose, fresh and charming scents of wisteria blossoms merge into fruity tones of wild strawberries, watermelon, and citrus skin. The palate is fresh and well-balanced, with a pleasant and long-lasting finish.
WINEMAKING: Nero d'Avola grapes usually get ripe about the first week of September; it is generally picked a few days in advance to preserve fresher and more delicate aromas, a distinctive feature of La Bambina rosé wine. Immediately brought to the winery, the grapes are destemmed as fast as possible, and the berries are softly pressed with no skin contact: light color and freshness are preserved by decanting the must in stainless steel tanks, and the fermentation starts from a pied-de-cuve of wild yeast. The wine is then refined sur lie for a few months: the lees are manually stirred every week, to reach a satisfying degree of proteic stability with no additives nor fining agents.
“Made entirely with Nero d’Avola, this wine opens with aromas that recall ripe berry, baking spice and crushed wild flower. The bright savory palate offers raspberry, strawberry, cherry and cinnamon alongside zesty acidity. Delicious and refreshing, it ends on a note of anise.”
— Kerin O'Keefe, on Wine Enthusiast
Perricone Terre Siciliane IGT
NoTrix is a vibrant and dynamic red wine that does not
need any makeup.
GRAPE: Perricone from Tenuta Belicello, Vigne al Pozzo
SOIL: alluvial clay soil with sandy and silty components
VINEYARD: planted in 2017, vertical shoot positioning, Guyot
WINEMAKING: skin maceration for 6 days in stainless steel tanks
FERMENTATION: spontaneous, with wild yeast + MALO
REFINING: 6 months on fine lees in large neutral Slavonian oak casks
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Natural wine, Indigenous yeasts, organic wine, contains sulfites, from agricoltura Italia o EU
AVERAGE BTLS: 10.000 bottles/year
The vineyard of Notrix Perricone was planted in January 2017 in the western part of Vigne al Pozzo.
At the end of September, the grapes are hand-picked in small baskets and immediately brought to the winery for destemming and crushing. Maceration on the skins lasts about six days, and the must ferments with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. After soft pressing and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, the wine refines in large neutral Slavonian oak casks for three months.
NoTrix is not fined nor filtered, and it fully develops its personality for 2/3 years after the harvest. It’s a medium-bodied and very easy-drinking red wine. It has a lively ruby color with violet shades. To the nose, a playful bouquet of red berries and geranium flowers meets intense scents of fine herbs and sweet spices. Firm but smooth tannins enrich a medium-bodied palate, with notes of star anise and ginger standing out against a persistent saline background.
NoTrix pairs well with red meats, pasta dishes, and cheeses, and it is a very interesting companion to spicy fish soups and grilled tuna fish. Its delicate though direct palate can complement prosciutto crudo as well as fresh salami, and medium-aged cheeses.
Marilena Barbera | ‘Lu Corí’
Menfi DOC
Fresh smells of the tropical winds, Sicilian spices, and the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to mild springs and warm summers, the grapes develop a delicious concentration, a rich and intense body, and ripe fruitiness balanced by its fresh acidity.
GRAPE: Nero d'Avola
SOIL: Calcareous, rich in limestones
VINEYARD: established in 2006, in the heart of the Belicello estate, on clay soil near the sea, facing east and west. Organic farming
FERMENTATION: spontaneous, with wild yeast / spontaneous
REFINING: 6-8 months in steel and, in smaller percentages, in large Slavonian oak barrels
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Natural wine, Indigenous yeasts, organic wine, contains sulfites, from agricoltura Italia o EU
AVERAGE PRODUCTION: 13.000 bottles/year
Lu Corí is Corsican: the heart. Typical hot Sicilian summers are not so common in Menfi. Here, the fresh sea breeze creates a microcosm perfect for growing grapes. This is why the grapes are never too ripe or sweet, granting the wine a vibrant, unique personality.
Marilena Barbera’s Nero d’Avola is a brilliant ruby red with a touch of violet. Its bouquet shows marine and spicy perfumes with notes of fully ripe watermelon. On the palate, it is fragrant and full, with soft and velvety tannins. "Lu Còri" has a Mediterranean, salty, and spicy character and a feminine profile, produced in the Menfi area with vinification in steel. It exudes fragrant and delicate red fruits and wild spices aromas, with pleasant mineral nuances reminiscent of the sea. The sip is slender, light, agile and fresh.
WINEMAKING: Nero d'Avola is picked during the first half of September when the tannins reach a perfect phenolic ripeness, and the berries display an intense dark blue color.
The grapes are brought to the winery immediately after the harvest, destemmed and crushed, and then delivered to stainless steel tanks.
The fermentation doesn't start immediately because she likes to extract the fresher, fruity aromas from the skins through a short pre-fermentative maceration. This is possible by lowering the tanks' temperature to 50-52 °F, which slows the natural activity of wild yeast until the must is brought again to about 65 °F in 24-36 hours. After cold maceration, the fermentation starts spontaneously and lasts about 6 days. Pumping-overs and déléstages are performed daily to enhance the wine's aromatic complexity.
Malolactic fermentation and refining are also in stainless steel tanks.
The wine is bottled without fining agents or thermic treatments; gentle filtration may be necessary, depending on the vintage.
“Another good value wine, the 2015 Sicilia Nero d’Avola takes a very direct and immediate approach to the grape. This Nero d’Avola shows the dark olive, caper and rosemary aromas you often get with this grape. The nose is rustic and genuine. Dark berry fruit and wild berry are followed by some scorched earth and sun-dried tobacco. The wine is streamlined and tight with a sour point of cranberry on the nose.”
— Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: Nero d'Avola Sicilia DOC 2015
Marilena Barbera | ‘FuoriZona’
Terre Siciliane IGT
FuoriZona is a greedy wine, with a transparent ruby color. It has soft tannins and a fresh acidity that underlines its supple and delicate body. The nose offers fruity and floral aromas, with a dominance of cherries, mint, violet, and red roses, while in the mouth there are clearly perceptible spicy notes of pink pepper, blood orange, and pomegranate.
GRAPE: Frappato planted in Tenuta Belicello, Vineyard Sottostrada
SOIL: medium-textured, deep, with sandy-calcareous components lying on alluvial clay banks
VINEYARD: established in the 1990’s
FERMENTATION: spontaneous, with wild yeasts, with malolactic fermentation spontaneous, completely carried out
REFINING: on the fine lees for 6 months, in 10 hl barrels. in untoasted Slavonian oak.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Natural wine, Indigenous yeasts, organic wine, contains sulfites, from agricoltura Italia o EU
AVERAGE PRODUCTION: 2500 bottles/year (208 cases)
ALCOHOL: 12% by vol.
The origins of Frappato date back to the foundation of the Greek colony of Kamarina, which dates back to 598 BC. Here, this vine, belonging to the Nerelli family, has found, over the centuries, climatic and environmental conditions suitable for a typical and independent evolution from that which took place on the slopes of the Etna. It evolved into the variety we know today and then spread to many areas of Sicily.
It goes well with first courses, such as fish soup and vegetable couscous, swordfish and bluefish, white meats, and cheeses typical of the Menfi area, such as Vastedda and Pecorino primo sale.
Marilena Barbera | ‘Ti Vitti’
Inzolia Menfi DOC
The luminous straw yellow color reflects a greenish hue when the light is just right. The fresh and charming bouquet with scents of white pear, broom, and almond blossoms is an olfactory dream. The palate is well balanced with charming acidity, citrus, and a slice of white ripe fruit on the finish. It is a pleasure to drink.
GRAPE: Inzolia
SOIL: Calcareous, rich in limestones
VINEYARD: established 2005; grapes from the "La Costa" vineyard on predominantly calcareous soils with a high mineral content
WINEMAKING: Destemming and crushing with 24-hour maceration before fermentation, gentle pressing and fermentation with native yeasts
FERMENTATION: from a pied-de-cuve of wild yeast
REFINING: on fine lees in stainless steel tanks- 4 months.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Natural wine, Indigenous yeasts, organic wine, contains sulfites, from agricoltura Italia o EU
AVERAGE PRODUCTION: 14.000 bottles/year
‘Ti Vitti, Sicilian: I have seen you
Inzolia is primarily a native Sicilian grape variety. Marilena Barbera’s is a prime example of how delicious it can be when grown properly and made under a focused eye. From the La Costa vineyard in the Belice Valley, this wine has pleasant aromas of fresh blossoms, well balanced with a satisfying amount of natural acidity. It is no wonder that Gambero Rosso awarded it 2 glasses.
WINEMAKING: Harvesting at night, when the grapes are crisp and crunchy, is the best way to preserve their fresh aromatic expression and to minimize oxidation phenomena.
Marilena pays the utmost attention to very fast and non-invasive winemaking: the grapes are destemmed immediately after the harvest; after a few hours of pre-fermentative skin contact, the must is softly pressed then decanted at a low temperature in stainless steel vessels. Fermentation is performed exclusively with a wild yeast pied-de-cuve prepared a few days before the harvest.
The wine is refined on its fine lees for about 3/4 months and is then bottled without any fining additives that may alter its unique personality and expressive taste.