Grillo Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

An Afternoon Sojourn to Cefalu Beach, Sicily

(June 2016) The previous evening in Messina, we had enjoyed a group celebration dinner at LaTonnaro Restaurant. Known for its fresh seafood, we were happy with the large platters of mussels and calamari we started with, along with a local sparkling wine made from the inzolia grape. The next course was a seafood risotto, followed by a main course of stuffed swordfish. We ordered a variety of wines including several made of the grillo grape, which many people had fallen in love with, along with two different bottles of nero d’avola. Platters of Mussels at la Tonnaro Restaurant in Messina [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:37:28-08:00August 26, 2016|

The Breathtaking Views and Wines of Abbazia Santa Anastasia

(June 2016) That morning we checked out of our hotel in Messina around 8am and drove about an hour and a half along the northern coast of Sicily towards Palermo. Our destination was Abbazia Santa Anastasia, which is a winery housed in a 12th century Abbey where the Benedictine monks were making wine more than 900 years ago. Stone Courtyard at Abbazia Santa Anastasia In the 1970’s the old abbey was purchased by the current owner and converted into a winery with a hotel and restaurant. Perched on a hilltop only 7 miles from the ocean, the abbey has amazing views [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:37:49-08:00August 23, 2016|

Overview of Sicily Wine Region

(June 2016) It took less than 24 hours in Sicily to realize we were in a different country, and it was not Italy. This was a sentiment not only pronounced repeatedly by the Sicilians we met – “We are different. We are not like the rest of Italy. We used to be our own country.” – but also by the landscape, architecture, food and wine. It was different. Even the palpable energy and seemly ready instinct of the people to argue about any topic, made us realize that we were far removed from the quieter and gentler wine regions of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:41:22-08:00August 5, 2016|