We’re spending the weekend on island time with wines from Terra Nostra from Corsica, Sella & Mosca from Sardinia, and Planeta and Firriato from Sicily.  Come see what the breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sean have blown in.
 
2016 Sella & Mosca, La Cala Vermentino  $16
Sella & Mosca’s 1,600-acre estate, I Piani, in Sardinia constitutes the second largest contiguous vineyard in Italy, covering more than 1,200 acres of vines.  Their Vermentino shows both citrus and floral notes. It is crisp and dry on the palate with youthful vitality and freshness.
 
2018 Terra Nostra, Corsica Rose  $14
Sciaccarello is a dark-skinned native grape variety from the island of Corsica, off the southern coast of France.   This Sciaccarello rosé has a slightly spicy nose (clove type) with hints of red berries (gooseberry). The flavors are frank, lively, and supple.
 
2017 Planeta Vittoria Frappato  $23
In the Mogli vineyard in southwest of Sicily, this native variety grows on ten acres of red sandy soil not far from the sea. Planeta’s Frappato is an aromatic red with notes of rose and candied violet and an elegant smoky tone, followed in the mouth with lots of red fruit with balsamic tones.
 
2016 Firriato, Trepani Chiaramonte Nero d’Avola $14
Nero d’Avola is a native Sicilian vine.  The unique characteristics of the Dàgala Borromeo estate where this varietal is grown, lends itself to shaping the wine’s complex aromatic profile from the sandy loam, alluvial soils.   
 
2015 Sella & Mosca, Canonnau di Sardnga Reserva $20 
Back to Sardinia, Sella & Mosca’s Cannonau is aged in oak barrels for at least six months then cellared for two years.  The wine has a mesmerizing scent, redolent of violets. It has a warm, dry, and harmonious palate with plumy fruit flavors and an aristocratic oak overtone.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday, we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.