All the flavour of true sicilian indigenous grapes
FIORDISPINA
100% Perricone, the rosé wine.
ARCODACE
100% Perricone completely refined in stainless steel tanks for 4-5 months.
FURIOSO
The first Perricone by Assuli in purity, 12 months in large oak barrels.
Fiordispina ↗
Fresh, sapid and aromatic, brilliant pink colour with golden reflection. In the taste, cherry and wild strawberry with a citrus note, perfect with lightly spiced dishes, salami and raw fish.
Arcodace ↗
Wine with elegant and fresh tannins, the fruit is lively, spices and liquorice dominate.
Furioso ↗
Well-balanced 100% Perricone with intense scents of ripe red fruit, graphite and violet.
The Grape Variety
Perricone, a relic vine
Unexpected, autochthonous, of rare quality.
Since time immemorial the Western side of Sicily was renowned for its cultivation, now recovered thanks to ambitious experimental projects which show witness to the island’s extraordinary biodiversity.
“He who knows how to taste does not drink wine but savours secrets”.
Salvador Dalì
THE WINERY
Love and respect for nature from generation to generation
A typical area that boasts a strong suitability for the production of wines with extraordinarily high quality.
INSPIRING WINE
The Orlando Furioso
Like all Assuli labels, the link with the territory comes through in the names of the wines as well, that pay homage to the Orlando Furioso, the epic chivalric poem written by Ludovico Ariosto in which he traces multiple connections with the island of wonders.
Right there in a forest of very dense trees, with hills and valleys in perfect balance on three different sides, wrapped in that pale aura of mystery, is ARCODACE. A magical place, which has poets and lovers of all ages dream and fantasize. In the pages of Assuli’s history, Arcodace is nothing more than the specular reverse of the earth, where everything lost on the planet of mortals gathers, the horizon reached on the wings of imagination, where the tales of the Paladins intertwine. sometimes they encounter sin or redemption, fight the enemy or seek the woman they love. A magical clearing, full of gnomes, fairies, goblins and elves, where wonder opens up and emotion flares up.
FURIOSO seals all the love of the paladin Orlando for the beautiful and fleeting Angelica, an unrequited love that will lead him to madness. The torment of jealousy will make him ‘furious’, so he loses his wits, with an enveloping and passionate temperament just like the Assuli wine. An allegory of human life, made of ‘arme et amor’.
FIORDISPINA is the daughter of King Marsilius, one day saw Bradamante, Ricciardetto’s sister, who, wounded in the head during a fight against Saracen soldiers, had to cut her hair to heal the wound. When she reached a spring she then lay down on the grass. Immediately, believing she was a knight, she fell in love with her. Fiordispina then confessed her love to the woman and kissed her too. Bradamante, embarrassed, then immediately made her identity clear to show the mistake made by the daughter of King Marsilius. However, despite the confession, Fiordispina continued to burn with love for her, despairing and grieving at not being able to vent her amorous passion and her own crazy feeling, unprecedented at that time. In the evening Fiordispina invited Bradamante to her castle and had her also dress as a woman, so as to try to curb her passion, which had arisen by mistaking her for a man because of the armour she wore. They also went to bed together, but while Bradamante was sleeping, the other one’s desire grew increasingly, she cried, dreamed that her partner would change sex and also prayed that this would happen.
The Territory
In a strip of land in Sicily, between the lands of Marsala and Mazara del Vallo, in the province of Trapani, there is a unique and distinctive habitat. An uncontaminated territory of rare beauty. The Assuli Winery is just over there.
Today, the Perricone is cultivated in Carcitella (Mazara del Vallo), the largest plot, next to to the Winery. 65 hectares, 120/150 m above sea level, where the perfect combination of soil and climate features offer the best conditions for growing Perricone. Here the soil is of medium texture rich in limestone with a good mineral endowment. It was once the bed of a river and round pebbles called CUTI can still be found on the soil.
But Assuli has already pushed upwards by betting strongly on high hill wines. “This is the new challenge: 20 hectares inside Bosco Scorace, in a stunning place, a natural area in Buseto Palizzolo, at an altitude of 600 metres. New Perricone plants are already being planted here, which will give rise to new wines”.
Roberto Caruso says with satisfaction as President of the winery known for its entirely renovated structure and equipped with that marble, extracted from Monte Cofano, that created the Caruso family’s core business in 1948: Perlato di Sicilia. Future goals that are firmly rooted in the past, focusing on the relaunch of quality wine in Sicily.
The vineyards
Assuli vineyards are located in the heart of Western Sicily between Mazara del Vallo and Trapani, with a mild and breezy climate at altitudes from 100 (Carcitella) to 600 meters above sea level (Scorace).
SUNNY WINDY SICILY
The Features
The Perricone is a gem among Sicilian grape varieties. And also a difficult variety to vinify, due to its intense tannin.
That is why ‘selection’ is the first watchword, ‘low yields’ is the second, indulging the natural predisposition to moderate productivity. With it, Assuli has given an unparalleled impulse to this DOC and this territory. Very resistant to drought, with early budding, it retains a particular sensitivity to phylloxera, including leaf, but is able to resist fungal infections more than other varieties thanks to its thick, pruinose skin.
Ripening takes place in mid to late September in medium and high hills, and it is harvested from the third ten days of September to the first ten days of October, depending on the vintage and ripeness of the grapes. The bunches are medium-sized, with elongated cylindrical-conical shapes and equipped with wings. The berries are round, with a very dark blue, almost black colour. Its terroir of choice is the Western part of Sicily, where it is cultivated with the same systems as in the past, with low expansion and short or mixed pruning; with a guyot system.
DISCOVER PERRICONE
The History
Assuli captures the red glow of Perricone and injects its vital energy into new, pleasing and contemporary interpretations. Its vibration invites the exploration of this relic vine, cultivated in western Sicily since time immemorial, now recovered thanks to decades of work. The golden age for Perricone was at the end of the 19th century when it entered the category of Marsala Rubino wines because it added elegance and aromas.
At the beginning of the twentieth century it was one of the most widespread varieties throughout the provinces of Palermo and Trapani. Its decline began with the invasion of phylloxera which practically destroyed its cultivation, and the gradual replacement with other varieties for the production of Marsala. The qualitative cultivation of Perricone began a few years ago, when, with the renaissance of winemaking Sicily, relic vines were given impetus and Perricone was elected as one of the symbolic varieties of a renewed personality of the island’s viticulture.
A vine that therefore faithfully reflects the pedoclimatic specificities of the areas in which it is planted. Its character manifests itself with expressions of remarkable elegance; the microclimate favours the aromatic complexity of the grapes and the concentration of intense aromas but of absolute subtlety.
A point of interest: its synonym ‘Pignatello’ derives from “pignatidare”, the red aluminous earth of Trapani, so called for its use in the manufacture of terracotta pots.
Furioso, our most awarded Perricone
WOW! The Italian Wine Competition
Light ruby with garnet hint, typical aroma with intense strawberry, blackberry jam, spicy touch (cinnamon) and pleasant balsamic expression. In the mouth it is juicy, fruity, with moderate acidity and savouriness on the finish. This is how WOW! The Italian Wine Competition. The Civiltà del bere competition, the only one promoted by an Italian publication, reserved for national wines, which awards Gold to the 2019 vintage.
James Suckling
James Suckling, one of the world’s leading experts, in his 2021 evaluation, gives the Furioso ’18 label a score that reaches 90 points. “Plums and ripe berries have a slightly smoky, liqueur-like feel. Full-bodied, with intense fruit and firm, velvety tannins covered in citrus and light spice. Savoury finish. Slightly dry at the end. To drink straight away’.
Sensory Analysis
Visual: intense ruby red with purple hues
Olfactory: scents of ripe red fruit, graphite and violet
Taste: good balance with soft tannins
Food Pairings
Furioso perfectly embodies a rich, soft texture. Lovely with roasted meat and medium-aged cheese.
Awards
2015 / 91 points / Vinous, Antonio Galloni, ed. 2019
2016 / 90 points / Vinous, Antonio Galloni, ed. 2019
2016 / 91 points / Veronelli ed. 2020
2016 / Tre Bicchieri / Vini d’Italia, ed. 2020
2017 / Tre Bicchieri / Vini d’Italia, ed. 2021
2017 / Gold / Wine Channel Best Italian Wine Selection, ed. 2020
2017 / 90 points / Tasted par Andreas Larsson, ed. 2021
2018 / 90 points / James Suckling, ed. 2021
2018 / Tre Bicchieri / Vini d’Italia, ed. 2022
2018 / 91 points / Ian D’Agata’s Best Buys in Italian Wine of 2021 / ed. 2022
2019 / Corona / Vinibuoni d’Italia / ed. 2023
2019 / Gold / MUNDUS VINI, ed. 2022
Food Pairings
Furioso perfectly embodies a rich, soft texture. Lovely with roasted meat and medium-aged cheese.
Arcodace, simply amazing
A red that surprises with its liveliness
Complex and elegant, a fine small production from the 2021 vintage, obtained from a careful selection of grapes.
The winemaker Lorenzo Landi
“Arcodace is a wine with a complex bouquet, where we find hints of blackberry, pepper, fresh spices and licorice, it expresses in a particular way the elegance and freshness of the tannin, the fruit is lively. It energetically reconfirms the spicy notes and licorice on the palate. Excellent with semi-aged cheeses, cold cuts, fish ragout, red tuna, roasted white meat, even spiced”.
Organic
In addition to boasting the DOC Sicily designation, it is entirely produced through certified organic viticulture.
Sensory Analysis
Visual: deep ruby red with violet reflections
On the nose: a complex bouquet, where we find hints of blackberry, pepper, fresh spices and licorice
Taste: elegant and fresh tannins, the fruit is lively, the spices and licorice that are energetically reconfirmed on the palate.
Awards
2021 / Gold / MUNDUS VINI, ed. 2022
Food Pairings
Arcodace is excellent with semi-mature cheeses, sliced meats, fish ragout, red tuna, roasted white meat, even spicy.
Fiordispina, the first Perricone Rosato
Pink, pink, pink!
Fiordispina arrives, the new wine with which the Sicilian Assuli Winery enters the innovative rosé category. It is likeable, pleasantly ambiguous, just like the character in the famous chivalric poem Orlando Furioso from which it is inspired, and has a very attractive colour.
Vinitaly Design International Packaging Competition
The flavour is pleasantly fresh and savoury, and it has a unique packaging with a strong aesthetic impact that, just born, has already made its mark. In fact, it is placed on the podium at the Vinitaly Design International Packaging Competition, winning the Bronze Medal out of more than 300 pink wines judged in the Rosé Wines category, with the 2021 vintage marking its debut in the typology.
Organic
In addition to boasting the DOC Sicily designation, it is entirely produced through certified organic viticulture.
Sensory analysis
Visual: bright pink colour with golden reflections
Olfactory: intense notes of fresh fruit, cherry, floral notes with light hints of oriental spices
Taste: fresh, flavourful.
Awards
2021 / Silver / Concours Mondial de Bruxelles ed. 2022
2021 / 90 points / Falstaff Sizilien Trophy, ed. 2022
Food Pairings
Fiordispina is a challenge: to prove that it is possible, with great grapes, to obtain a fresh and pleasant ‘pink wine’. perfect with lightly spiced dishes, cured meats and raw fish.
100% Organic
Intelligent, ‘green’ and glamorous, Assuli embraces the ecological transition. Not just because it is a very attentive winery to the land and respect of it, but also because it is working on every single stage of the value chain to embrace an extended concept of sustainability. First of all, the architecture, which harmoniously blends the production building with the rural landscape. Then the production process, vineyards that have already been converted to organic farming and in the SOStain and V.I.V.A. Certification phase, two sustainability programmes for viticulture that go beyond the concept of “organic”. Then the use of Amorim Cork corks that limit the environmental impact. Important steps in a context in which Sicily is the first region for organic viticulture, by area of organic vines and for having developed an integrated protocol, created from the needs of producers and for producers. Progress is also aware of delivering to the next generations a land that is intact, alive and capable of giving back, in the products that come from it, that unique mix of factors that make Sicily one of the most popular Mediterranean islands in the world.
Sicily Elite Club
Variazioni di Perricone
Inspired by the rhymes of Ariosto’s masterpiece, the Assuli wooden gift box encloses the three ‘base Perricone’ wines in a precious casket. An elegant and refined box, perfect as a gift that offers different organoleptic experiences in a single suite. Surprise your friends or use as a display in a wine shop or restaurant.
Latest News
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Discover Perricone: An indigenous red variety from Sicily, with eight wines to try
Once rare and perhaps endangered, Perricone is making a comeback, says Clive Pursehouse, who charts the long history of this grape variety from Western Sicily and recommends wines to seek out.
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Assuli in attendance in Sicily at Taormina Gourmet
Assuli reconfirms its participation in Taormina Gourmet, the event endorsed by Cronache di Gusto dedicated to the Sicilian agri-food sector at the Hotel Villa Diodoro. A presence intended to be able to give substance to the quality with which the winery works to improve, day after day, the excellence of its wines, reaffirming the link…
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The great biodiversity of Italian grapes, wines and terroirs
by Ian D’Agata Tutto quello che c’è da sapere sulle uve e sui vini autoctoni italiani è stato detto durante la recente Grand Opening Masterclass organizzata a Guangzhou (Cina) in occasione di Wine to Asia (una delle principali fiere del vino nel Paese). La degustazione guidata da Ian D’Agata, redattore capo di TerroirSense Wine Review…
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Triple gold medal at the Mundus Vini Competition
Here come the champions! Assuli hits the MUNDUS VINI Grand Prix competition.Golden hat-trick: this is the medal collection that the Sicilian winery won at the summer tasting of the 31st edition of the prestigious Grand International Wine Award Mundus Vini. Founded by Meininger Verlag, it is one of the most important wine competitions in the world. There were 4,185 wines tasted…