Santa Tresa Rina Ianca Grillo-Viognier.

Santa Tresa Rina Ianca is made from a blend of the local indigenous white grape Grillo and the French variety, Viognier.

Grapes from Rina Ianca are grown on the 50 hectare estate of Feudo di Santa Tresa. The estate, one of Sicily’s finest and oldest, dates back to 1697 and is situated in the South East of the island in Vittoria. Santa Tresa cultivates organic grapes, with the emphasis on natural production methods and as little human intervention as possible.

The two grapes are vinified separately. 50% of the Grillo is aged in oak barriques for 3-4 months before being blended together with the rest of the Grillo and the Viognier.

Rina Ianca has a bouquet of tropical fruit and vanilla aromas, with a perfect balance of fruit flavours and citrus acidity on the palate.

A lively, fresh white, with plenty of body, which will go with all sorts of fish and seafood dishes as wella as making the perfect aperitif.

Spaghetti with clams

Sicilian wines always complement the local food – and seafood is a very important part of Sicilian life.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg clams
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 400g spaghetti

First clean the clams and remove any trace of sand from them: the best way to do that is to place the cams into a bowl full of salty water and leave them there as long as you can (e.g. overnight).
Once you have properly cleaned the cams, drain the water and put them into a hot pan with 2 spoons of olive oil and a clove of garlic. Cover the pan and cook the clams until they are all completely open. Remove some shells (half of them) and then strain the clams’ juice in order to remove any trace of sand.
Heat some oil into a medium size pan, stir in the other clove of garlic until it has turned golden. Stir in the juice from the clams, cook it for about 10 minutes and, at the end, add the clams with the chopped parsley and some pepper.
Cook the spaghetti in a pan full of boiling water until it is ‘al dente’, drain it, put it into the pan with the cams and stir all together for about one minute.
…Buon appetito!