Although Nino Caravaglio “officially” founded his cantina in 1992, his family has cultivated vines for centuries on the island of Salina, part of the archipelago of seven volcanic islands (others include Lipari and Stromboli) off Sicily’s northeast coast. Steep-sloped and sparsely populated, with whitewashed villages sitting at the base of giant, vine-draped craters, this is one of a few spots where vines were never attacked by phylloxera (volcanic/sandy terroirs proved resistant to the louse, which ravaged Europe at the end of the 19th century). The most famous Aeolian wines are sweet, dried-grape nectars from Malvasia, which are labeled Malvasia delle Lipari DOC regardless of which island the grapes come from. Delicious, salty dry whites (like this one, labeled “Malvasia Secca”) are also made from Malvasia, along with reds from a trove of different grapes.
Caravaglio’s 37 acres of vineyards have been Certified Organic almost since the winery’s creation. The island’s arid climate and cleansing breezes make Caravaglio’s commitment to natural farming that much easier; mold and disease resistance are not big issues here, and the exceedingly good health and cleanliness of the fruit enables Caravaglio to keep added sulfur to the barest minimum. This bottling, aptly named “Infatata” (“enchanted”), includes an image on its label of a single, triangle-shaped vineyard, called ‘Tricoli,’ which climbs up the side of an ancient volcano. The grapes from this site are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard, then fermented on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks.
This latest edition, the 2021, is characteristically citrusy, saline, and full of wet-stone minerality, hinting at everything from Spanish Albariño to French Muscadet to the similarly delicious Malvasias of the Canary Islands. Malvasia has a more floral, tropical aromatic profile and a slightly waxy texture reminiscent of some northern Rhône whites, and this Salina-grown interpretation brings all of that to the table along with a pronounced sea-air salinity and electrifying freshness. In the glass, it’s a deep yellow-gold, with aromas of orange blossom, acacia honey, white peach, preserved lemon, green herbs, and caper brine. Serve it at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems and pair it with just about any seafood preparation you can imagine.
