Zibibbo Secco 'Al Qasar' Rallo 2023

Zibibbo "Al Qasar" is a dry aromatic white wine, a modern and ancient interpretation at the same time of the Zibibbo or Moscato d'Alessandria grape, traditionally reserved for the production of passito. The name pays homage to the ancient Arab culture, which in Sicily has promoted and enhanced the cultivation of this grape variety since the 9th century. Al-qasr in fact means "the castle," and it is under the Sicilianized name of "U Cassaru" that the most important street in the center of Palermo, now Vittorio Emanuele II, was known when the Arabs provided it with an imposing system of fortifications after their conquest in 831 BC. Cantine Rallo thus pays tribute to a very important page in Sicilian history, juxtaposing it with a white wine endowed with exuberant richness and sinuous, arabesque aromatic articulation.

The Zibibbo grapes that give rise to the dry white wine "Al Quasar" are grown in the Patti Piccolo district of the municipality of Alcamo at an altitude of 250 meters according to certified organic agriculture. In the ancient Rallo cellars in Marsala, the grapes are crushed and the must fermented in steel tanks, with final aging of about 6 months. A rather simple production process, carried out entirely in neutral steel containers, allows the grapes to express their typical colorful aromatic profile without alteration. The fruit's natural sugars are carried out entirely during fermentation, so the wine produced is dry, lean and very fresh

Rallo's Zibibbo "Al Qasar" is an arabesque of crisp and linear olfactory sensations: abstract, geometric yet concrete in the glass. Vegetal and floral motifs of orange blossom, lily of the valley, aromatic and medicinal herbs intertwine with stylized depictions of sweet citrus, exotic and tropical fruits, dates and fresh almonds, with greenish-blue inserts of seawater and saltiness. It is drinkable, however, and reveals on the palate great freshness, energetic vitality and lots of minerals in a streamlined, flowing progression, rhythmically set by hypnotic tambourines and ancient plucked string instruments. It pairs perfectly with intensely flavored foods such as oysters and coquillages, as well as blue cheeses and foie gras, as well as spicy and sweet-and-sour Middle Eastern cuisine, for multifaceted taste experiences, gustatory belly dances.