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Malvasia is one of the grape names that has been applied rather indiscriminately to a number of sort-of-similar but unrelated aromatic grape varieties. Among the gaggle of more than a dozen different Malvasias, one of the most respected examples is known as Malvasia di Lipari, named after a small island off the northeast corner of Sicily. Lipari is the largest of eight isles in this area collectively known as the Lipari Islands or, more often, the Aeolian Islands.
The Aeolian Islands are known for their volcanism—two of the islands, Vulcano and Stromboli, are still active volcanoes—which has earned them a place on the World Heritage list. They are also known for a delicious sweet dessert wine made from the indigenous Malvasia di Lipari, a large portion of which is consumed by the thousands of tourists who come to enjoy the islands’ beautiful beaches and sunshine in the summer.
The most attractive of the Aeolians is the island of Salina (where much of the movie Il Postino was filmed). The noble Tasca d’Almerita family, which has been at the forefront of production and research in Sicily’s wine industry since 1830, acquired 12 acres of vines in Malfa on the northeast point of Salina. The spot is called Capofaro, meaning Lighthouse Cape, and indeed an important lighthouse stands next to the vines, guiding the numerous interisland ferries and other boats around the headland.
At the time of purchase, the vineyards were planted with 30-year-old Malvasia vines, of which Tasca kept the healthy ones and filled in with new plantings. Modern viticultural practices were introduced with a particular goal of better protecting the grapes from sun and wind damage to maintain fresh flavors and aromas. This is demonstrated in one of the two wines made here, Dydime, an atypical Malvasia made with fresh grapes and finished dry. Tenuta Capofaro’s other wine, “Capofaro,” is closer to the traditional sweet dessert wine of the island, taking advantage of new technologies. The grapes are brought indoors intact after harvest and are laid out to dry in order to dehydrate them and concentrate their sugars and flavor components. After a few weeks of drying, they are vinified into a classic sweet island wine. However, Capofaro is not a traditional Malvasia delle Lipari DOC wine, which requires a small addition of a grape called Corinto Nero. Tasca prefers the pure expression of Malvasia and therefore the 100% Malvasia wine is made under the auspices of IGP Salina.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Malfa, Salina Island (Messina province), Sicily VINEYARD: Malfa, Salina Island, Sicily VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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92
DECEMBER 2019
Tenuta Capofaro “Didyme” Salina IGT 2018
 This opens with enticing scents of yellow stone fruit, rosemary, Mediterranean scrub and citrus. The savory, linear palate doles out juicy ripe apricot, Meyer lemon and crushed herbs before an energizing saline finish. It's balanced, with tangy acidity. 91
NOVEMBER 2021
Tenuta Capofaro “Didyme” Salina IGT 2020
 A pure expression of Malvasia, the Tenuta Capofaro 2020 Malvasia Didyme is the more "Sicilian" of these two dry expressions of the grape made by the Tasca family. By that I mean the wine is more exuberant and Baroque in personality with lifted aromas of sweet orange blossom, candied fruit and a touch of wild sage or salty sea breeze. The name Didyme is inspired by the ancient Greek word for "twins" because the inland of Salina is distinguished by twin peaks: the Fossa delle Felci (at 962 meters above sea level) and Monte Porri (at 860 meters in elevation).
93
AUGUST 2021
Tenuta Capofaro “Didyme” Salina IGT 2020
 Aromas of apples, lemons, beeswax, thyme, white pepper and acacia honey. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fresh acidity. Layered, mineral and complex. Flavorful and long. Drink or hold. 92
JUNE 2021
Tenuta Capofaro “Didyme” Salina IGT 2020
 Pungently fresh wild flowers and ginger lift up from the 2020 Malvasia Didyme, nicely contrasted by an enriching note of brown spice. This is silky and enveloping, matched by a pleasant inner sweetness yet still completely fresh and balanced, with ripe orchard fruits and minerals giving way to pretty inner florals. There’s a lingering salty element mingling with the tropical citrus notes that resonate through the finale, and this keeps me coming back to the glass again and again. The 2020 is a beautiful rendition of Didyme. 93
NOVEMBER 2021
Tenuta Capofaro “Capofaro” Salina IGT 2019
This is always such a fun and cheerful wine to enjoy at the end of an outdoor meal with an evening seascape somewhere in the distance. The Tenuta Capofaro 2019 Tenuta Capofaro (in a 500-milliliter bottle) is made with air-dried fruit (the appassimento process takes place on the island of Salina in a special fruttaio room for air-drying with controlled temperatures, but the Tasca team makes this wine at their home-base winery on Sicily; for that reason, this wine is identified with the IGT Salina appellation). As you might expect, winemaking is impeccable, and the aromas are clear and concise with fresh peach, minty apple and Sicilian night-blooming jasmine. The wine is full and elegant but graceful all the while with a crisp and polished mouthfeel. Tenuta Capofaro is among the least sticky and freshest of the dessert wines presented in this report.
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