INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 VALDIBELLA 'ZI-BI-BO' ZIBIBBO TERRE SICILIANE $20.99

At a time like this, it's pretty much impossible to be 'normal'. But it is important to try and keep what you can as close to normal as you can while you can. Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

The Muscat grape has lots of iterations and clone variations across the wine world, so it's tough to pin an identity to it. Many versions take the easy road and, like Gewurztraminer, play off its natural perfume and make them sweeter. Zibibbo is the Sicilian name for the Muscat of Alexandria clone that traces itself back to Egypt and is one of the older known varieties in winemaking, and they specialize in making it as a vibrant dry style of wine. This wine has grown in popularity with many of the more 'naturalist' style of winemakers that have evolved on the Mount Etna side of the island, as the grape doesn't need to be weighty or intensely ripe to deliver great character and complexity. This is yet another wine from the Valdibella co-operative near Palermo, using strictly organic growers for all their goods, and we have yet to find anything from them that isn't impressive in both quality and value. A big pop of perfume from the first pour filled with magnolia blossoms and orange citrus, but also notes of lime and wet stone type minerality. Lots of fragrance, but it all stops short of seeming sweet in any way, and the palate drives that home with a refreshing burst of acidity and zesty fruit, medium bodied but not cloying at all, and an impressively clean tangy finish. An exciting and entertaining wine to pair with Mediterranean dishes that have a kick of pepper and spice.

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