Over the centuries, Sicilians have become adept at coping with intense heat during the summer months when the average temperature is in the 90°Fs. As we also deal with hot, humid weather all year round in South Florida, we can adopt the Sicilian habits of eating healthy dishes and drinking crisp, refreshing wines to beat the heat.
Stemmari, one of the leading sustainable wine producers from Sicily, has created wines that pair well with traditional Sicilian summer dishes, making the saying “if it grows together, it goes together” truer than ever.
Below are a few great pairings to help us all mimic the Sicilian summer lifestyle.
- The Stemmari Baci Vivaci ($14) is the perfect wine for adding bubbles to beachside weekends in Sicily or anywhere. This sparkling wine is made from the indigenous white varietal Grillo, a Chardonnay-esque varietal that is able to withstand the hot Sicilian summers. Baci Vivaci shows the grape’s profile to be fruit forward, floral, and well structured. Fried foods, such as the traditional Sicilian fritters called panellas, are balanced out by the wine’s refreshing minerality and acidity. Panellas are made from chickpea flour and are a popular street food, particularly in Palermo, the capital of Sicily.
- One of the most prominent summer dishes is the sweet and sour eggplant dish caponata. The dish can be served warm, but chilled is popular to help cool down in the summer. The dish pairs excellently with the unique Stemmari Rosé ($10) which is made from Sicily’s native red grape, Nero d’Avola. With the roundness of a red and the brightness of a white, this blush wine balances well with the acidity and earthiness of the dish.
- The Stemmari Dalila ($18) is an expressive wine that captures the richness of Sicily in a bottle. Elegantly aromatic yet still tropical, a bit of honey and vanilla round out this delightful blend of Grillo and Viognier which makes it great with seafood dishes such as Sarde a beccafico. Sarde a beccafico (sardine rolls with pine nuts and raisins) is an old fisherman’s dish that uses sardines, one of the signature ingredients of Sicily.