​Mamertino di Milazzo Rosso D.O.C. "Casale di Mimmo" Mimmo Paone

Over time, the success of Mamertino stopped, mainly due to the reduction of the vineyards along the Tyrrhenian coast of Messina, the "home" of this wine. Recently, the glorious and centuries-old wine tradition linked to the production of Mamertino has been rediscovered and re-evaluated. Since 2004, the year of the recognition of the D.O.C. "Mamertino di Milazzo", Mamertino wines have known "new life", a real rebirth that brought back to the top the wine production of the province of Messina.

Among the protagonists of the rediscovery of Mamertino di Milazzo is the winery of the Paone family, which decided to focus on this local Denomination, making its "Mamertino" the flagship wine of its wine production. We tasted and reviewed the Mamertino di Milazzo Rosso D.O.C. "Casale di Mimmo" Mimmo Paone 2018.

BUY THIS WINE: Mamertino di Milazzo D.O.C. "Casale di Mimmo" Mimmo Paone for sale online, EXCLUSIVELY and AT CELLAR PRICE, on Wineshop.it

The Paone family has been operating in the wine sector for over half a century, first selling wine, then producing it. The family business was born in the 50s of the twentieth century, in Torregrotta (Messina), thanks to Giuseppe Paone. In 1991 the winery began to be run by his son Mimmo, absolute protagonist of the rediscovery of the Mamertino of Milazzo and promoter of the D.O.C. Today his sons Fabio, Simone and Donatella also work in the winery.

The 70 hectares of vineyards are mainly located in the province of Messina, but the family also has land in other areas, suitable for viticulture, in Sicily. Here the winery cultivates the autochthonous vines of the island: Grillo and Inzolia, among those with white grapes, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Nero d'Avola and Nocera, among those with black berry. In particular, the Paone family has always been committed to the enhancement of Nocera, a variety too often underestimated, with enormous wine making potential. Once used almost exclusively to produce wines capable of giving body and structure to the red wines of northern Italy, Nocera gained full autonomy thanks to the experiments and work of the Paone family and other local producers. Today, the contribution of this grape in the production of Mamertino di Milazzo Rosso is very important.

The Mamertino di Milazzo Rosso D.O.C. "Casale di Mimmo" Mimmo Paone is obtained from a mix of Nero d'Avola grapes (70%) and Nocera grapes (30%). The harvest is done by hand, in the first week of October. After the typical process of vinification to produce red wines, this wine ages about 12 months in small oak barrels.

We tasted the 2018 vintage.

The Mamertino di Milazzo Rosso D.O.C. "Casale di Mimmo" Mimmo Paone 2018 is ruby red, with slight brick-colored reflections. It reveals the typical traits of the two vines at the base of its production, the elegance and aromatic richness of Nero d'Avola and the "strength" and structure of Nocera. The aroma is delicately fruity (red fruits), with light floral notes (violet) and vegetal sensations. The palate is firm, immediate and structured. It has a good alcohol content (13.5%), a good persistence and a slight acidulous vein that gives the freshness that lightens and simplifies the sip. It is a balanced wine, pleasing, not heavy or excessive, therefore inviting and always interesting.

It is perfect with first courses with meat condiments, or with red meats and mature cheeses (fantastic with the Sicilian Pecorino).