Summer in Sicily: Capofaro
In the summer of 2019 I was sitting on a terrace in the Aeolian island of Salina watching Stromboli erupt on the horizon. Lava flowed sporadically, glowing bright but pixelated as I recorded it over and over again on my iPhone.
I could save the file, but not quite the moment—it’s often impossible to bottle away experiences so conveniently.
Wine fits into this narrative a little easier. All around the terrace were vineyards of Malvasia. These are tended by the Tasca family and end up as either a dry wine called Dydime Malvasia, or a sweet wine called Capofaro Malvasia.
I can never resist a great sweet wine, and the Capofaro Malvasia has the acidity requisite to balance out the honeyed nature of the varietal. But it’s equally hard to deny the pleasure of Dydime, a wine that feels and smells like a ripe orchard of fruits, yet is dry and bracing.
Dydime is not a wine meant for ageing, but why should it? It’s ephemeral and fleeting, like a little eruption. You can take a picture of it on your phone, but nothing beats experiencing it in real life.
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