So, we’re officially into autumn. However, I’m already counting down the days until my favorite season starts again. So, in honor of summer, I wanted to show some love to a wine I love: Zebo Moscato from Cantine Pellegrino. A perfect complement to the season, just thinking about sipping this bubbly wine gets me stoked for summer 2019–and to go back to Palermo and beyond.
This refreshing sparkler is made from Zibibbo di Pantelleria, a Muscat grape that’s included on UNESCO’s prestigious list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The particular grapes picked for Zebo come from Agro di Petrosino and Mazara del Valle on Pantelleria — an island that I’m dying to visit, I should add. The elongated grapes, known for their sweet pulp, grow at 20 to 150 meters above sea level in clay terroir with a calcareous-sand texture. Fun fact: the same grape is also used for the famous Passito di Pantelleria, which I’m sure you’ve heard of.
The grapes are picked during the first ten days of September. They then undergo a partial maceration, soft pressing and partial fermentation in stainless steel. A second natural foam fermentation takes place in an autoclave. The wine is then aged for two months in the bottle.
Tiny bubbles swim in the beautiful clear bright yellow wine explodes with some of my favorite aromas: apricot, peach and orange flowers! With just 7% alcohol, Zebo Moscato is vibrant yet light, and oh so refreshing at the end of those hot summer beach days. Those aromas are enhanced on the palate, each sip giving way to a nice clean finish. Those robust stone fruit and citrus flavors linger, an oenological exemplification of the storied Sicilian landscape.
Established in 1880, Cantine Pellegrino has been a labor of love for six generations of Pellegrino and counting. Headquartered in the seaside town of Marsala, the family creates a selection of wines from indigenous varietals in the province of Trapani.
