By luck I recently (virtually) met Franco DiFilippo. And it was good luck. He introduced me to his wine, his little gem…his ‘Estasi’(ecstasy).
It is a sweet wine, produced in Apulia, the heel of Italy around the city of Bari on limestone soil. The grape is white Muscat a very old and noble variety originally from the Mediterranean area.
Unfortunately few winemakers are still producing it and Franco is one of them. He works in his vineyard with passion to produce this delicious nectar and leaves the grapes getting dry and shrinking on the plant until October and harvest them manually to choose only the best bunches.
Just by pouring it in your glass you’ll be surprised by its intense golden shining colour. But that’s not it. At the nose you will discover the enchanting aromas typical of the Moscato grape but also a fine complexity of honey, dry white flowers, apricot jam and a gentle almond finish.
In the mouth the wine will complete its seduction with the harmonious balance of the flavours already present at the nose (apricot, honey white flowers) with the addition of citrusy and tropical fruits. The acidity is lively but is not overpowering the residual sugars and creates a perfect balance with the alcohol (14 degrees). The wine is rounded and soft and has a long persistent finish.
It is a wine that goes very well with fruit cakes or typical South Italian ‘pasticceria secca’ but you will enjoy it as well with foie gras or blue cheeses and (as the producer suggests) with oysters.
And most of all it is a charming elegant wine, the perfect end to a great meal….but also the perfect start.
