Donnafugata SurSur Grillo 2019

SurSur is a style of language that we don't think is utilised enough in English. In classical Arabic it means crickets, onomatopoeically named for the sound crickets make, while you roam in a field. A simple, yet elegant system for naming; what if dogs were called 'roughs' or cows called 'moos' and Trump could be referred to simply as a fart noise! O... wait.

If this bottle of Grillo was named for the sound it inspires it would probably be called OOOOO! You see, when that first sip passes your lips, you are immediately struck by the freshness of the palate, bursting with tropical fruit, scents of wildflowers and a citrus purity that seems to go on & on. At this point it's inevitable you'll release a pleasurable little shudder and without even really knowing it, you'll say OOOOO!

The Rallo family has made wine in Marsala since 1851 and their ancient cellars tunnel beneath the city. They were one of the first families to begin making high quality table wine when sales of traditional Marsala started to decline, launching the Donnafugata label in 1983 and championing the potential of the region's native varieties.

Today, Donnafugata has three estates in Sicily: a modern winery and 270 hectares at Contessa Entellina in the hills east of Marsala; 18 hectares in Vittoria to the south eastern point of the Island; and 68 hectares on the island of Pantelleria. Donnafugata means 'fleeing woman' and is a reference to Queen Maria Carolina, who escaped the court of Naples in the early 19th Century with her husband, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, when Napoleon's troops arrived. The couple took refuge in Sicily at the Santa Margherita Belice palace, also the favourite residence of celebrated writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and depicted on the 'Mille e una Notte' label.

SurSur is made from Grillo grapes planted on the Contessa Entellina estate and neighbouring areas. Vines are planted at 200-600 metres above sea level, with approximately 4,500-6,000 vines per hectare. The vines are trained using VSP (vertical shoot positioning) and pruning is cordon spur, leaving 6-10 buds per vine. Soils are mainly clay loam with a limestone content of 20-35%.