Late last summer I visited west Sicily to explore the Marsala wine region. While I was there I learned about grillo, a grape that is traditionally used to make Marsala wine and is being used more and more to produce white table wines. It’s an amazing grape, capable of producing some really interesting wines. And just recently I was super excited when I discovered this sparkling wine made from grillo — I had to check it out!
Grillo tends to excel in a number of areas that tend to result in good white wine, such as lively aromatics, tropical and citrus flavors, vibrant acidity and salty mineral flavors. With these characteristics, I was really curious to find out what Stemmari could do with this grape in a sparkler.
Baci Vivaci translates to “lively kisses” although after tasting this wine, I think “gentle kisses” would be more appropriate as this is a very light wine. It’s lively in a way, but I’d say it’s more delicate than lively. But that’s not to say that it isn’t really good, because it is.
Gentle honeysuckle, lemon, peach and mineral aromatics give this wine a sultry, soft and elegant introduction. The palate is light and refreshing, offering soft apple, peach and mineral flavors. The fruit is very light and not at all sweet on the palate. It’s also not sour, but just right. The bubbles continue the “light” theme, offering just a slight frizzante characteristic rather than an intensely-bubbly style like you would get in a Champagne or Cava. The acidity is good, giving a touch of vibrancy to the wine. It finishes long with salty mineral and delicate peach flavors. This is a very nice, light and refreshing wine and one I’d definitely want to have again.
Priced under $10, this wine is a bargain.
Wine: Stemmari Baci Vivaci
Variety: Grillo
Vintage: Non-vintage
Alcohol: 10.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $9.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Find Stemmari Baci Vivaci with Snooth
