Fabio Ferracane
Muffato Oxidative 2018

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
  • ABV 13.5%
  • Size 375ml

Quantity

About the Wine

A callback to the old school Marsala of days gone by, this is not the more ubiquitous (often dubious quality) sweet export, rather a bone dry expression of Catarratto that has undergone a process one might more likely associate with the Jura's coveted Vin Jaune. 

Born from an initial experiment back in 2013 when Fabio celebrated a plentiful vintage, a little of the excess Catarratto that would ordinarily become Gianciabianca he filled a small barrique with and forgot about. Untouched, and without topping up the barrel, a flor of wild yeast began to form on the surface of the wine which was left to develop for five years. This wine was made in exactly the same way, using grapes from 2018, macerated on their skins for three days before being pressed into the barrel, with no additions at any stage. A remarkable, completely natural phenomenon.

Bone dry, the wine is a heady mix of all the complex flavours and textures that oxidation and flor-contact can bring. Fruits give way to woody hazelnut, toasted almond, turmeric and garam masala spice with crystals of salt, plus a little sweet vanilla from the barrel. Remarkably, all these heavy flavours are balanced by a beautifully fresh acidity, that makes the whole thing feel wonderfully alive. A great one to ponder after a big meal, or better still as you tackle some mature cheeses. Bravo Fabio!

About Fabio Ferracane

From a long-running family of vignaiolo, Fabio Ferracane has lived in Marsala on Sicily’s west coast his whole life. From his father he inherited three hectares, to which he has added a couple more of his own - all of them enjoy being drenched in sun pretty much year-round and are both remote and secluded. We’ve long been seduced by the distinctive wines of this diverse Italian island, so when we met with Fabio we were excited to find he was following the same path as some of the producers of the region we hold in the highest regard, creating wines that express their environment by channelling the sun and the sea.

His parcels of vines are split across two locations; those planted over sandy soils a few steps away from the ocean, looking out over the salt pans to the Stagnone Islands, and those a little further inland, sat in a valley over calcareous clay, amongst a patchwork of rolling hills that are close enough to still feel the effects of the maritime breeze. For the most part he grows the Sicilian workhorse grape, Catarratto, but produces wines that are anything but middling or conventional.

Embracing all manner of ancient techniques, ones which Fabio explains predate the export market for sweet Marsala that exploded in the 1800s, they look back in time to create something that ironically, right now, feels incredibly contemporary. Hazy sparkling wines from tart, early-harvest grapes are fermented in their bottles with no disgorgement. White grapes are given long macerations on their skins and aged in amphorae to create musky, exotic amber wines. There is simple, thirst-quenching rosato, and luscious late-harvest wines, made in the passito style.

It follows that the vineyard work harks back to a time long before chemical farming too - all the plants are tended to organically, with grass and flowers allowed to grow along the rows, punctuated by the occasional ploughing. In the cellar Fabio works with a light hand and the range of wines we have selected to import all have no filtration or sulphur input whatsoever.  Calling to mind the landscape of this dusty, remote part of Sicily in both their colour and aromas of wild herbs, stone fruits and flowers, their defining trait is the influence of the ocean and its salty breeze, which finds itself embedded in the character of these charming, evocative wines.   

Find out more about Fabio Ferracane

More from Fabio Ferracane

Fabio Ferracane
Aggiara 2021

Next-level sister wine to Fabio's 'Macerato' cuvée with a more refined process. Here, an extended time in amphora has imprinted a whole new textural identity on that same herbal, pithy and deep maceration of Catarratto. There is the familiar eucalyptus and salt-tinged apricot stone fruit, but here the tannins feel filed-down and beautifully fine-grained from the contact with the clay vessel. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£38.50

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Camaleonte 2022

A breezy, 'all-in' kinda wine that serves as an approximation of Fabio's overall style. Named after the chameleon as the blend changes every year - it is a mix of everything to be found in the cellar. Fruity, fun and delicious, with unmistakable notes of salty red cherries, some great texture from the skin-contact elements and it just goes down so so easily. Sicilian sunshine from start to finish. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto, Grillo, Nero d'Avola & Merlot
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£26

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Elisir Late Harvest 2022

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Cataratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£42

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Foddreé 2023

An abundance of tangy sherbet lemon pithiness and chalky minerals to quench the thirst, with a balanced brioch-y undertone from the very present lees sediment. The frothy, finely-moussed bubbles and low finished alcohol make this the perfect aperitivo wine, particularly for those who embrace the cloudiness. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£25.75

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Guanciabianca 2022

Fabio's entry-point Catarratto that blends grapes from both his sandy coastal vines and those from the valley, further inland. Sharp-edged and linear, with zesty white peach and apricot stone fruits cut through with a long beam of acidity. A wine that speaks of the ocean breeze and rolling hills of western Sicily. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£26

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Guancianera 2023

A beautiful gemstone garnet in the glass, the wine walks an assured balance between crunchy, freshly-picked fruits, and more long-ripened, Mediterranean depth. Juicy black cherries, smoke, bitter dark chocolate and those familiar oregano and wild finocchio herbs. Tannins are impressively fine and all these elements mesh together in a perfect balance. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Nero d'Avola
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£26.50

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Macerato 2022

Highly aromatic, burnished amber maceration of Catarrato. Sea-salted apricot with a heady waft of wild herbs and flowers float out of the glass preceding grippy, mouth-coating tannins and a resinous pine cone quality, inflected with medicinal eucalyptus. Exactly the style of orange wine that we love! Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£35.50

Quantity

Fabio Ferracane
Ninù Vermouth

A beautiful, delicate vermouth that somehow channels the exotic aromas of flora you find on the air in this remote part of western Sicily. A heady delight when simply drunk over ice with a twist of citrus, it is a transportive aperitif if ever we tasted one. Find out more.

  • Region Marsala, Sicily, Italy
  • Grapes Catarratto
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites, fortified and infused with natural citrus & botanicals
£46

Quantity