The Tenuta di Castellaro winery, on the tiny Sicilian island of Lipari
It’s been a while since I was so surprised by the wines from any particular winery. Tenuta di Castellaro’s red wine is mild and the whites are hearty—the opposite of what one would expect from a Southern Italian winery. These grapevines are grown by the sea, on hillsides of volcanic soil, all of which contributes to the elegance and lightness of the wines.
Organic winery Tenuta di Castellaro was established some fifteen years ago on the wind-swept island of Lipari, off the north coast of Sicily. This entire area is known as the Aeolian islands, named for the Greek god of wind, Aeolius.
Wind keeps the grapes healthy, not allowing vine diseases to take hold. And on the slopes of this dormant volcanic island, wind apparently helps disperse natural sulfur, making it easier to maintain organic growing principles.
Not using chemicals is also healthier for the dozen or so families employed at the winery, where all the work on the vines is done manually, because the vineyards are located on slopes too steep to use machines for cultivation or harvesting. And the vines are not trellised in rows; they are grown individually, in the ancient albarello tradition, each one looking like a tiny tree on its own.
Tenuta di Castellaro’s owners, businessman Massimo Lentsch and his family, also consider their winery to be a “social project” that contributes to tourism, an important factor in employment on the island of Lipari. The island has less than 10,000 year-round residents. Despite its remote location, tens of thousands tourists swarm in during the warmer months, from May to October.
In addition to its winery, Tenuta di Castellaro has a restaurant and three micro-residences in the midst of the vineyards; it also offers wine tastings and vineyard picnics for day-visitors.
I was intrigued (who wouldn’t be?) and immediately started googling how I would get there. It’s not easy. Fly to Rome, then take another flight to Calabria or Sicily, then take a 2-hour bus or train to the Sicilian port of Milazzo. From there, it’s only a one hour and fifteen-minute ferry to the island of Lipari. And a twenty-minute drive up into the hills. Bucket list, anyone? For now, I’m glad the wines are being imported into the US.
A selection of the Tenuta di Castellaro wines:
Nero Ossidiana Corinto: here, the red grape Corinto Nero is blended 10% of a better-known Sicilian red, Nero d’Avola. The wine’s deep color belies its buoyant fruitiness; it also carries a hint of sapidity into its dry finish. Lifted and light, this wine is made with natural yeasts.
Eúxenos: Made exclusively with Malvasia di Lipari. Traditionally, this grape has been used to make a sweet wine but this wine dry and full-bodied, and a typically intense straw-yellow color. Beginning with an appealing peach and almond aroma, on the palate wild herbs and salinity add to the flavor. Well balanced with minerality and acidity.
Bianco Pomice: Made with two white grapes fermented separately, Malvasia di Lipari 60% (in steel), Carricante 40% (in 3rd or 4th season wooden barrels). Pale yellow with a green tint, the wine has garrigue notes along with citrus, seaside and mineral notes. A full and persistent white wine.