FERRACANE AND THE CATARRATTO: ALTERNATE CATARRATTO IN AMPHORA

Taking the title of a successful film, this article could also be called “Ferracane and the 6 shades of Catarratto”. Creativity and excitement, research and listening go hand in hand in the Ferracane winery. The result is a new wine from a grape variety that has now become Fabio Ferracane’s flagship: Catarratto.

Fabio has been working and experimenting with it for years. Participation in wine fairs, exchanges with producer friends and tastings of other wines have led to the creation of “Aggiara”.

There are now 6 labels of Catarratto made by Ferracane: the ancestral “Foddreè”, the “Guanciabianca”, the “Macerato”, the late harvest “Elisir”, the “Muffato” and finally the “Aggiara”. Fabio is experimenting with his favorite vine, to understand how it behaves and what it becomes using different types of material (steel, wood, amphora) and production methods (ancestral method, oxidative method, maceration, classic fermentation).

Fabio tells us about this wine's "working method capable of leaving a mark: I sought for this wine with an authentic and identifying taste a unique style that accompanies the purity of the vine intact."

The first bottles produced are few, only 179. It is an unfiltered wine with no added sulphites (12 mg/l). The alcohol content is 12.5%.

THE AMPHORA AND THE CATARRATTO

Wine and amphora have been traveling companions for millennia. Just think of the qvevri of Georgia or the hundreds of Roman amphorae. Thanks to their shape, affordability and transport capacity, amphorae have been the favorite containers for both those who made wine and those who sold it for millennia.

The amphora used for the “Aggiara” is not a terracotta amphora, but a ceramic one, fired at 1050°C. It has an egg shape that facilitates filling, emptying and cleaning. The amphora has a microporosity that allows for less micro-oxygenation than a barrique, with the advantage of not adding anything to the wine it houses, neither tannins nor aromas, but of highlighting the peculiarities of the grape variety and the terroir.

THE CREATION OF THE “AGGIARA”

2019 was the first vintage of “Aggiara”. The grapes were harvested in the first ten days of September and macerated on the skins for 21 days.

At the end of bottling, Fabio left the lees (the “mother”) in the amphora, which enriches the structure of the wine, which was then bottled in September 2020.

THE TASTE-OLFACTORY PARTICULARITY OF CATARRATTO IN AMPHORA AND HOW TO PAIR IT

The peculiarity of Catarratto in amphora is from the aromatic point of view, in the body and in the structure of the wine.

The Catarratto “Aggiara” is wilder, fuller and more direct on the nose. It attracts us thanks to its greater appeal due to its great aromaticity.

In the mouth the wine is more robust, fuller than for example the macerated in steel, with a more rounded tannin. Finally it stands out for a greater flavor and freshness.

We recommend pairing “Aggiara” with stewed white or red meat (such as cacciatora), or with fish with a strong flavour, such as a tuna steak. Thanks to its strong flavour, it also goes well with a nice fried fish.