An Italian Grape Nobody Talks About - Perricone
A monthly feature on obscure Italian grapes I think you should try at least once.
If you’ve been reading Sip with Nik for a while, or even if you’ve only spent a few minutes browsing my site, then you likely know two things about me:
1. I am pretty obsessed with Italian wine.
2. I adore exploring the lesser known varieties and regions of the wine world.
Actually, my passion for indigenous grapes is the basis for why I love Italian wines so much. Not to mention the authenticity in wine styles, the distinctive expressions of Italy’s diverse terroirs, the passion for craft behind every label, and all of the characters whose unique stories I’ve connected with along the way.
When it comes to wine (and life), there is just SO much to discover in Italy. For me, it’s always been a place where life is well-lived, time slows down, and people just really know how to savor every moment. And every sip of a good Italian wine always pulls me into the present to do exactly that.
So, as my ongoing love letter to Italy, I will be dedicating one newsletter per month to an Italian grape variety that deserves a bit more time in the spotlight. After all, there are over 350 Italian varieties currently in production, and over 2,000 native, rare, and in some cases genetically identical regional variants cultivated in the country.. Translation: a vast array of wines ripe for exploration.
To kick things off, I’d like to dive into a Sicilian red variety I encountered during my 2-week road trip around the island a couple of years back – Perricone.
The Road to Perricone
We arrived in Sicily buzzing with excitement for our wine road trip ahead. Our first stop was Terra di Gratia, a family-owned winery in Camporeale just southeast of energetic Palermo. We met the owner, Gaspare, amidst the winding roads of the village of Camporeale, and he informed us there had been days of excessively heavy rains prior to our arrival. As such, it was best we hopped in his car to drive out to the winery. Little did we know what lay ahead.
Driving on the winding road out to the winery, we were brought to a screeching halt by the remnants of a mudslide, thick and sludgy, that had completely overtaken the road as far ahead as we could see. As Gaspare slowly navigated his car through the most shallow areas, we encountered another local whose car was completely stuck blocking our way. An hour of conversation and phone calls ensued, and eventually another local showed up with his massive tractor to pull the guy’s car out. And then we were on our way!
The first time I encountered Perricone was during our tasting at Terre di Gratia. Perhaps I had worked up a thirst during our adventure to the winery, or perhaps the wines were really just that good, but I was immediately enamored with Perricone at first sip. We tasted an ancestral method sparkling, a still rosato, and a red made from the variety, and I found each one as intriguing as the next. So, here’s what you should know about Perricone.
Meet Perricone
Perricone is a rare red variety native to Sicily and mainly cultivated in the western part of the island. This variety was once nearly extinct after being demolished by phylloxera, but luckily for us, Perricone is making a comeback. Back in the day, Perricone was key in the production of Marsala Rubino and was widely grown in Trapani where it’s known as Pignatello. You’ll often find it in blends with the more popular Nero d’Avola, but select producers opt for single-varietal expressions that are absolutely unique. You can see what the variety is all about in single-varietal expressions made under the Sicilia, Eloro, Delia Nivolelli, Contea di Sclafani, and Monreale DOCs, as well as IGT examples.
Some describe Perricone as similar to Barbera, though they have no genetic relation. For me, Perricone was beautifully fruit-forward and concentrated with earthy, herbal undertones. Intense flavors yet with a lifted freshness.
Perricone is one of those varieties whose tannins are notoriously difficult to tame. The solution rests in careful vineyard management so the grapes can mature on the vine as long as possible until the green seeds turn brown. Pick too soon and the resulting wine has green tannins. Growers know the grapes are ready when the bitter taste of the green seeds transforms into an enjoyable, nutty flavor leading to velvety tannins in the final wine.
Typically, Perricone wines are full-bodied with high tannin, high acidity, and complex flavors of blackberry, blueberry, plum, sour cherry, and nuances of white pepper. They have a dry, lengthy finish layered with notes of balsamico – an Italian word used to describe wines that have resinous, herbal, and woody notes (not the vinegar). Red wines made from Perricone often benefit from bottle aging, helping to soften the tannins and develop more elegance and complexity.
Recommended Perricone Producers
Terre di Gratia
Terre di Gratia is a Sicilian wine estate with roots going back to 1934, when the Sciortino family purchased the Feudo di Torretta and began cultivating vines, olive groves, and wheat in the Sicilian hinterland. The estate passed through generations, gaining its name and spirit from Grazia, whose descendants Gaspare and Rosario Triolo now lead the company after returning to Camporeale with agriculture degrees to modernize the family business. Today, Terre di Gratia is a sustainable winery cultivating 15 hectares of vineyards and known for reviving forgotten native Sicilian varieties like Catarratto, Perricone, and Lucignola, with a commitment to organic farming and eco-friendly production.
If you find yourself in Camporeale, I recommend booking a tasting because in addition to experiencing their lively, dynamic wines, Gaspare’s mother prepares authentic Sicilian bites to match that were all truly divine. Nothing like a home cooked meal from a Sicilian mamma.
Rosa Mosso Ancestral Method Sparkling Wine
We drank a lot of ancestral method sparkling wines while in Sicily, and I have to say, they were all quite good. It’s a tricky style that can go wrong in all sorts of ways, but the Terre di Gratia Rosa Mosso Ancestral Method Rosato was so clean, bright, and fresh.
If you’re not familiar with the ancestral method, also known as pétillant natural or pet-nat, it involves a single-fermentation sparkling wine. The wine is bottled before it completes fermentation and remains on the lees in the bottle. Meaning the wines will have some sediment at the bottom of the bottle. You can either carefully pour clear wine off the sediment, or invert the bottle to integrate the sediment into the wine.
The Rossa Mosso Rosato made with Perricone has a brilliant pink color with flavors of fresh strawberries, pomegranate, toasted bread, and delicate hints of florals. It’s the perfect companion for aperitivo and summer fun.
Dama Rosa Perricone Perricone Rosato
Terre di Gratia also produces a still rosé made with Perricone called Dama Rosa, and between these two rosato bottlings, I’m convinced Perricone makes an exceptional rosé. Dama Rosa has beautiful acidity and is a fresh, easy-drinking, bolder rosé with inviting aromas of wild strawberries, blood orange, pomegranate, and pink peppercorns.
170 Perricone Monreale DOC
The 170 Perricone is a beautiful expression of the variety showing a ruby red color with violet hues in the glass. Expect intense aromas of black cherry, mulberry, and balsamico with hints of coffee and cacao. With bottle aging, this Perricone develops notes of licorice and tobacco.
Porta del Vento
What a treat it was to visit Porta del Vento! The aptly named winery (“door of the wind” in English), sits atop the hills overlooking the village of Camporeale and the valley below. The position of the surrounding mountains and hills creates a sort of wind tunnel, bringing sea breezes through the vineyards helping to moderate temperatures during the scorching Sicilian summers.
Founded in 2005 by Marco Sferlazzo, who today is accompanied by his son, Porta del Vento focuses on biodynamic viticulture, manual harvests, native fermentations, concrete tanks, and large oak barrels. Natural wine in the best sense of the word, Marco’s wines are living, breathing expressions of the Camporeale territory featuring only indigenous grapes like Catarratto, Nerello Mascalese, and Perricone.
Porta del Vento Perricone Terre Siciliane IGT
Easily my favorite Perricone of the trip. The Porta del Vento Perricone is made with a 7-day carbonic maceration and spent 12 months in concrete tanks, followed by 10 months in large second or third passage oak barrels. The result – an incredibly elegant, expressive Perricone brimming with wild blackberry and raspberry flavors, plus hints of macchia and balsamico. Prominent yet well-integrated tannins, medium acidity, and a pleasantly bitter finish round out the palate.
Marco de Bartoli
Now we’re headed down to Marsala for the legendary producer – Marco de Bartoli. Originally a racing driver, Marco de Bartoli discovered his true calling in the 1970s when he returned to the family estate in Samperi, near Marsala in western Sicily, only to find an industry increasingly focused on mass production and shortcuts that had all but destroyed the once-storied reputation of Marsala wine.
He went against the grain, championing the traditional pre-British “il perpetuum” style using native Grillo grapes and the soleras method — a conviction so stubborn that authorities actually shuttered his winery for five years in the 1990s, claiming his Vecchio Samperi couldn’t legally be sold as wine. Today, his passionate research into indigenous grapes continues through his children Renato, Sebio, and Gipi, who have expanded the family’s portfolio across both their Samperi estate in Marsala and their Bukkuram vineyards on the island of Pantelleria.
Marco de Bartoli Rosso di Marco
A standout expression of a nearly forgotten grape. The Rosso di Marco is made from 100% Pignatello, sourced from Guyot-trained vines planted in the red terra rossa soils of Trapani at the end of the 1990s. Grapes are hand-selected and fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel via traditional punch-downs and pump-overs, then aged in medium-capacity French oak barrels. The result is an approachable yet characterful red, leading with ripe cherry and blackberry fruit, a delicate tannic structure, and the earthy, sun-soaked personality of western Sicily.
Aldo Viola
Tasting with Aldo Viola was less a formal wine tasting and more a conversation. One that left a lasting impression. Widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the natural wine movement in Sicily, Aldo was born into a winemaking family in Alcamo, though his path back to winemaking wound through professional football, Denmark, India, and the Amazon. Today he farms seven hectares of Catarratto, Grillo, and Grecanico on the iron-rich Timpi Rossi hills, plus a separate coastal plot planted to Perricone, Nerello Mascalese, and Syrah, where the dry, scorching microclimate suits the varieties perfectly. Aldo is the rare kind of deeply principled, quietly fearless vigneron that feels increasingly hard to come by.
While he doesn’t make a single-varietal Perricone, he does use Perricone in two different blends, his Saignée and Moretto. I didn’t get a chance to try either while we were there, but I’m very keen to do so after the way his Syrah blew my socks off.
Finding Perricone
I’m not sure that any of these producers are currently present in the U.S. market, not yet anyway! Well, you could probably find the Marco de Bartoli Rosso di Marco somewhere, since their wines are pretty widely distributed.
If you’d like to explore Perricone for yourself, try some of these well-known producers featured on Decanter.
Wine.com also has a few Perricone single-varietal wines, though I’ve never tried any of the producers listed.
Better yet – book a trip to Sicily!
Craving more Sicilian wine?
Wine Samples Savored Recently
A lovely little round up of wines I’ve had the pleasure to drink recently thanks to some wonderful PR teams:
Louis Roederer Collection 245 Champagne
A world-class Champagne at a surprisingly approachable $69.99, and a versatile bottle at that. Get ready for a glass bursting with green apple, brioche, acacia, and marzipan. It’s elegant but inviting. The palate is vivacious. Electric acidity, toasty complexity, and a finish that lingers for days. Crafted from three iconic Champagne estates blending Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier into something truly special.
Catena Appellation Wines
Catena Appellation White Clay Semillón Chenin Blanc 2022: Lime verbena, honeysuckle, white nectarine, and Bosc pear with a whisper of hay. Bright, inviting acidity with a beautifully smooth, integrated finish.
Catena Appellation Malbec, Lunlunta 2021: Black cherry, blackberry, a kiss of earth and herbs, then a floral lift that sneaks up on you. Voluptuous but not heavy, concentrated but never overworked. The kind of wine that disappears from your glass before you realize it.
Catena Appellation Cabernet Franc, San Carlos 2021: Deep black fruit, graphite, and earth with velvety tannins that are refined to the point of elegance. Concentrated without being dense, every element in its place.
Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ
If you love a New Zealand Sauvy B like I do, then this bottle delivers in every sense of the word. Super vibrant, great texture, and explosive flavors of gooseberry, lemongrass, stone fruits, and lime zest make this a stunner for spring and summer. I wish I had another bottle.