An Enchanting Sweet Wine: Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia

When many think of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, windswept beaches, abundant sunshine, Greek ruins and authentic cuisine come to mind. As for me, thoughts of wine are first and foremost! Sicily is mainly known for its dry wines from Etna DOC and easy drinking red and white wines. But there are more. Sicily has 1 DOCG, 23 DOCs and 7 IGPs that are now producing wines of higher quality instead of bulk blending wines of yore. It has 293,000 acres under vine (the most vineyard area of any Italian region), although its production is less than half of Veneto. Wine continues to be mostly IGP, but with the creation of Sicilia DOC in 2011, it represents about 30% of production. There is so much to discover about wines from Sicily and just recently, I became enchanted with Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2019 Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia, sent as a sample.

Photo Credit: Italian Wine Central

The #ItalianFWT group of food, wine and travel lovers are kicking off 2023 with a plethora of discoveries from Sicily and links to everyone’s articles are found after this. If you’re so inclined, join the group on Facebook on Saturday, January 7 at 8am Pacific time for what promises to be an energetic conversation on Facebook live. We’ll be talking all things Sicily (but mostly wine, of course) on the group’s Facebook page, ItalianFWT. I hope to see you there.

Pantelleria DOC

In my wine journey through Sicily, in order to learn more about Donnafugata Ben Ryé, I found Pantellaria DOC, located on a volcanic island of between Sicily’s southern coast and Tunisia. It was established as Moscato di Pantelleria DOC in 1971 and renamed in 2013. The vineyard area covers 988 acres as of 2019 and production averages 97,400 cases per year. The main white grape is Zibibbo, grown almost exclusively in Sicily (95%). Also known as Moscato di Alessandria (Muscat of Alexandria), Zibibbo is a member of the large family of Muscat and an offspring of Moscato Bianco. On the nose and palate, notes of apricot, orange blossoms, ginger, dried herbs are intense. In sweet wines, Zibibbo expresses elements of orange marmalade, caramel, fig and dried raisins.

The word “zabib” is Arabic for “raisins. Karen MacNeil writes in The Wine Bible, 3^rd edition that “the grape may have been given this additional name during the rule of Arabic-speaking Carthaginians from the sixth to third centuries BCE. Due to Islamic law, it was, at the time, planted only for table grapes, not for wine production. Zoday, Zibibbo is primarily used for the delicious dessert wines Moscato di Pantelleria and its more famous, complex sister Passito di Pantelleria.”

In 2014, Pantelleria became a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its traditional agricultural practice of cultivating head-trained bush vines. Grapes thrive in mild winters with very little rain and windy summers. Altitudes range from 20 to 400 meters above sea level and soils are deep, loose, sandy soils rife with minerals. The cultivated land is mainly on terraces. Thanks to the growing conditions in Pantelleria, Zibibbo, trained as a sapling, is able to concentrate a large amount sugars and develop a great amount of intense aromas.

Donnafugata in Pantelleria DOC

It’s always a pleasure to open a bottle of wine from Donnafugata. The winery is guided by the fifth generation of the family and has “revolutionized the style and perception of Sicilian wine in the world.” The name alone not only signifies delicious, affordable wine, but represents the Italian island that has  now become recognized as a producer of world-class wines. The focus at Donnafugata is not only the production of exceptional wine crafted from the best grapes possible, but to promote the awareness of Sicilian wine produced from a variety of terroir throughout the island. Currently, Donnafugata has 461 hectares of vineyards in Contessa Entellina, Vittoria, Etna and Pantelleria.

In Pantelleria, Donnafugata has 68 hectares of vineyards within 16 districts and 5 hectares of olive groves. “Vines are cultivated with a very low pantesco saplin on small terraces bordered by dry stone walls in lava stone (UNESCO World Heritage Site). This requires a very high use of labor, about three times the average need of a quality-oriented vineyard, not to mention the maintenance of about 40 km of dry stone walls.” (quote from the website of Donnafugata) It’s no wonder, then, that the wines produced are just as unique as they are magnificent.

Terraces in Pantellaria – Photo Credit: Donnafugata

Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2019 Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia

Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2019 Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia ($37 for a half bottle) is produced using passito, whereby Zibibbo grapes are dried on straw mats (the traditional method) prior to vinification in order to enable higher sugar concentration. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and dried grapes, de-stemmed and selected by hand, are added to the fresh must in several batches. During maceration, the dried grapes release their signature aroma and sweetness. This vinification process lasts over a month and aging takes place in stainless steel for 8 months followed by aging for at least 12 months in the bottle before release.

Trust me when I say that this captivating, sweet wine is one that I’ll seek again! Gold with threads of amber in the glass, the nose was intense with notes of fruity apricot, candied orange peel and herbs. On the palate, I found more herbs, honey and golden raisins and an ultra-satisfying finish. With residual sugar of 194 grams/liter, Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2019 Passito di Pantelleria DOC Sicilia is a lush, sweet wine that pairs beautifully with chocolate cake, dry pastries, ricotta tart, blue cheeses and even foie gras. Serve it around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and uncork at the time of serving. And don’t forget to pour a second glass.

Cheers! ~ Cindy

For more Sicilian wine discoveries, check out the following links from my #ItalianFWT colleagues.

• Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore + Seafood Pasta by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• A Journey Across Sicily with Donnafugata by Vino Travels
• An Introduction to Sicily’s Wines and Cuisine by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• Capodanno: Ending 2022 with an Indigenous Sicilian Grape + Spaghetti ai Ricci di Mare by Culinary Cam
• Cortese – Organic Wines from Sicily Championing Biodiversity by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Easy Air Fryer Salmon with Chardonnay from Sicily by Cooking Chat
• Famiglia Tasca shares its love for Nero d’Avola by My Full Wine Glass
• Frappato and Biodiversity at Santa Tresa Winery by Savor the Harvest
• Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes and an Organic Grillo Wine by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sicily, in a Single Glass by Life at Table
• Sicily’s Frappato, a Good Match With Seafood and Pasta Pomodoro by The Wine Chef
• Tasca- A Sicilian Icon by Avvinare