Halara, "Vino Rosato" 2019

Producer Profile: Halarà is the recent brainchild of six different winemakers who came together to save a beloved vineyard from sale. These winemakers are all natural (though not dogmatic) producers from southern Italy: Stefano Amerighi, Francesco de Franco (“A Vita”), Nino Barraco (“Barraco”), Corrado Dottori (“La Distesa”), Giovanni Scarfone (“Bonavita”), Francesco Ferreri (“Tanca Nica”). The vineyard is small and located in Western Sicily, in the region known as Marsala. You’ll likely have heard of this name before for the renowned (or infamous, depends on your relationship to the drink) sweet wines crafted here via the solera method. The only commonality here is the name of the place – this vineyard, specifically in Contrada Abbadessa, is planted to 40 year-old vines of Parpato and Catarrato, native Sicilian grapes. Parpato by another name is “Quattro Rappe” referring to the grape’s tendency for high fertility wherein the vine’s shoots appear in four clusters (ergo ‘Quattro Rappe’). It is a grape we hadn’t heard of until we heard of Halarà (translated from Greek, the name means “Take it easy”); but it is revived here alongside its bianco vineyard-partner Catarrato. In any case, the idea was to make one or two cuvées in collaboration with one another to give a snapshot of the Mediterranean. Think of this project as both an ode to what Marsala itself on Sicily can taste like but more broadly think of it as an ode to the spirit of Mediterranean living: fresh, free, and in the company of friends. Take it easy!

Vinification: 95% Parpato and 5% Catarrato from 40 year old bush vines. Two harvests took place: the first pass was pressed whole-cluster with no skin contact and the the second was left to macerate on the skins for 24 hours. Both fermentations used wild yeasts and took place in in stainless steel, followed by a blending and aging in stainless for 6 months on the fine lees. Bottled unfined, unfiltered with just a touch of SO2. 

Tasting: Medium bodied and full of ripe, juicy red fruits, with a hint of chai spice on the finish. Texturally, this rosato is round and fleshy, but a pleasant smokiness and vibrant acidity cuts through and give it some edge.