Rallo Azienda Agricola, Vicoletto Catarratto, IGP Sicily, Italy, 2024

Producer Profile

The Vesco family make fragrant wines, organically grown in a certified organic agriculture.

They represent the best and most typical style of winemaking in western Sicily: crisp Catarratto and perfumed, fresh Nero d'Avola from their hillside vineyards. Cantine Rallo have vineyards in three sites in western Sicily: Alcamo for Catarratto and Nero d'Avola; Marsala for Grillo and Pantelleria for the Zibbibo that makes their delicious Passito di Pantelleria. Their grapes tend to be picked earlier in the year than many of their neighbours which produces their customary bright, fresh style of wine.

Viticulture

Vicoletto is an exciting new project from Rallo Azienda Agricola, showcasing the character of Catarratto grapes grown in the sandy, elevated hills of Alcamo. Here, the vines benefit from cooler temperatures and a pronounced diurnal range, allowing for a slower, more balanced ripening—shielded from the island's intense heat. Winemaker Andrea Vesco embraces a sustainable, organic approach, continuing a viticultural tradition that has flourished in Alcamo’s fertile soils for over 300 years. The grapes are carefully hand-harvested in the early morning to preserve freshness and aromatic purity.

Winemaking

The grapes are gently pressed, with 90% of the juice fermented off the skins in stainless steel tanks, while the remaining 10% undergoes skin-contact fermentation for 12 days. Both components ferment naturally using indigenous yeasts. After fermentation, the skin-contact portion is blended back in, and the final wine is bottled unfiltered, unfined, and without stabilisation or added sulphur.

Tasting Note

This vibrant yet slightly hazy orange wine owes its appearance to a natural, minimal-intervention winemaking process—crafted without stabilisation, fining, or filtration, and containing only minimal sulphur. On the nose, it reveals an expressive bouquet of citrus, grapefruit, crisp apple, and white-fleshed fruits. These bright, fruity notes carry through to the palate, where they’re elegantly balanced by hints of Mediterranean herbs and a lively backbone of fresh acidity.

Food Matching

Best lightly chilled to around 14°C rather than served straight from the refrigerator with Sicilian pasta asciutta/ bolognaise or pane e panelle (chickpea fritters).