The magnificent Aeolian Islands are a string of volcanic islands north of Sicily that include Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli (an active  volcano), Filicudi, and Alicudi. Capers are a primary local export, particularly from Salina and Lipari—the two largest and most populous of the islands—but Antonino “Nino” Caravaglio is at once the caper king of the region and its wine maestro. He has built what is unquestionably the most qualitative collection of vineyards and wines in this little slice of Italy, an area of stunning beauty and fascinating maritime history. Grape-growing and winemaking have been a part of the fabric of life in these islands for millennia, and Nino seeks to preserve and enhance both local trades.
     “Vignedimare” is Nino’s most recent project. In the harsh, yet fertile terrains of these islands he is attempting to revive their ancient, but largely abandoned viticultural traditions, most notably by planting a new vineyard on the sparse northeastern slopes of Stromboli. The grape of the Aeolian Islands is known as Malvasia di Lipari, made famous in ancient times by the sweet wines it produced. The variety has evolved here, undisturbed, to create its own unique identity, now rendering truly spectacular (especially in Nino’s impassioned and gifted hands) dry and aromatic white wines in addition to the late-harvest specialty. Nino has experimented tirelessly with various aging vessels and with skin-contact fermentation. The Vignedimare whites represent a pinnacle of achievement in his endeavors to vinify some of his Malvasia vineyards on Salina (“Abissale”) and Stromboli (“Verticale”) in small cask, yielding a more full-bodied and complex expression of these fragrant whites. These are among the best whites made in all the Mediterranean islands, and we are excited to have them back in stock!