FAVIGNANA’S REDS
THE DRY LAND AND THE SEA
Favignana’s red wine keeps a hidden treasure in its soul
The harvest of white grapes in the Calamoni estate ended just a few days ago, and today we’re once again talking about Favignana and the wines that come from this vineyard. Favignana is an island formed by land that emerged from the sea bottom and Calamoni estate is characterised by a very special terroir: a limestone platform from the Quaternary or Neozoic made of fossils that were embedded in the ground driven by the pressure that the sea exerts on its seabed. Among the rows of Perricone and Nero d’Avola grown in Favignana it is common to find fossils of shells that still nourish the soil of this unique Egadi vineyard with their valuable mineral susbstances.
CALAMONI’S POSIDONIA
Call it sea grass, not seaweed!
It is precisely so: Posidonia is not a seaweed but a marine plant. It’s got roots, stem, leaves and flowers as a common plant of the land. It grows so lush and abundant in the waters off the Calamoni estate that when the sea breaks on the rocks in winter, silvery black leaves of Posidonia cover the entire gulf and fill the space between the rows of vines. The nutrient supply of sea grass combined with that from the fossils in the soil is absolutely unique and difficult to repeat in other terroirs. Thanks to the uniqueness of this soil, the red wine of Favignana is exceptionally rich in polyphenols, which guarantee a full-bodied, elegant structure and surprising longevity.
PERRICONE, NERO D’AVOLA AND MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Last Act at Calamoni: Harvesting the Red Grapes
So the last act of this particular wine undertaking is now over. The harvest of red grapes is the perfect epilogue to the story of a whole year of work in the vineyard. For this 2015 vintage the maturation of Perricone and Nero d’Avola grapes, which will blend to give the only red wine produced in Favignana, took place exactly at same time as those planted in the mainland. The season also ensured perfect health conditions for the vines. Bunches have an intense purple color and grapes are crisp with very fragrant thick skins. All grapes were hand harvested and placed in boxes made of natural wood. To keep them intact, they were transported on the mainland with the utmost care according to Firriato’s specifications.
With their intense scents of sea and nature they will make a red wine from Favignana that takes its name from the island’s maritime tradition: Favinia Le Sciabiche.
