Mortellito makes delicious natural wines in Sicily that fill us with hope for the future.
Why? Well, in an age of global warming, they show that rising temperatures don’t need to be the kiss of death... Read More
Mortellito makes delicious natural wines in Sicily that fill us with hope for the future.
Why? Well, in an age of global warming, they show that rising temperatures don’t need to be the kiss of death to fresh wines that convey terroir. Mortellito is in the southern end of Sicily. So far south, in fact, that they’re around the latitude of Tunis and Algiers. But the limestone hills and local varieties, perfectly adapted to the climate (Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Grillo, etc.), make for wines that are full of tension, with sunny fruit, plenty of acidity, and a salty spirit.
Mortellito came to be in 2014. After years of selling off his grapes to the likes of natural Sicilian wine legends such as Frank Cornelissen and Lamoresca, Dario Serrentino decided to start bottling his own wine. His goal from the start was to produce natural wines that are as clean and transparent as possible.
He uses no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. And he grows all the vines in the old-fashioned bush vine system (technically, “albarello” or “gobelet”), where each vine grows like a little grape tree. This approach means everything must be done by hand in the vineyard; machines can’t prune or harvest these vines. But it seems to work: preserving moisture, shading the grapes from hot sun and working who knows what other kinds of viticultural magic.
The Mortellito wines capture freshness, and are deeply terroir transparent. They capture the magic of great Sicilian wines: hedonistic fruit tempered by assertive minerality and fresh acidity. They use no sulfur in the winemaking except a small amount at bottling. The wines of Mortellito are full of vibrancy and life; prime examples of how natural winemaking and viticulture can adapt to our changing world to produce wines that are balanced, pretty and down right delicious. One more thing: they remain very affordable!
