Wine Tasting in Mazara

Throughout this trip we have driven through many small towns and villages. One thing that keeps recurring is how all the houses seem to be in compounds. They all have stone fences of varying height around them. Even the empty lots have a stone fence, probably a remnant of the original structure that was there. We do have gated communities in Canada and the U.S.A. But not many houses have them. It was a late start today as the main activity was a visit to another winery Gorghi Tondi. The estate itself was

located not far away from our hotel. The estate began over 100 years ago but only recently did the father along with his 2 daughters decided to start bottling the grapes from the vineyards. The estate is in a nature preserve and they seem to be very aware that they need to maintain it today. After a look at the surrounding countryside, we were taken into the production area of the winery. The wine making process is very reminiscent of what you would expect to see in the wineries closer to home.

Stainless steel vats holds the wine for varying lengths of time before it is either bottled. More expensive wines are stored in oak casks for long periods of time. They have over 20 variety of wines. Olive oil is also produced but did not have any bottles available for sale.

As we wandered through the building, there was a shipment of wine packaged and ready to go. The interesting thing about it was the wine was labelled LCBO. It was going to Ontario! We asked if we could buy a bottle of that wine in their store but it is only for export. I found the wine at the local LCBO for around $13.00 a bottle. She said it would be “around 7 euros if they sold it here. After the tour we of course had a wine tasting and a very light lunch. The items served complimented the 4 wines that we tasted. It was a very nice tour. We returned in the early afternoon to free time. A cold bug is working its way through the bus. Everyone seems to take the opportunity to just relax. Dinner tonight was at an off site restaurant. Tomorrow will be a very long day as we make our way around to the island Taormina with a stop at the Valley of the Temples.