Wine & Food from A - Z : Ansonica/Insolia

October 19, 8:36 PMChicago Wine Pairing ExaminerBrett Ashley McKenzie

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This Insolia from Principi di Butera exemplifies the grape's pleasant almond and orange aromas.

Benson Marketing

Note: "Wine & Food from A - Z" is a series by Chicago Food & Wine Pairing Examiner Brett Ashley McKenzie, designed to help wine lovers learn more about specific grape types (varietals) that make up great wine and how to pair them with food. It is an ongoing series.

Grape: Ansonica (as it's known in Tuscany); Insolia/Inzolia (as it's known in Sicily)
Regions: Italy (predominantly Tuscany and Sicily)
Nose: Almond, citrus, fresh herbs
Flavors: Bitter orange, nuts, grapefruit

Italy is home to more wines than many of us will taste in a lifetime, with officially recognized varietals literally numbering in the hundreds. You may have never heard of Ansonica--or, as it's known in Sicily, Insolia--but you've probably tasted it, particularly if you're fond of Chicken Marsala. The fortified wine most Italian restaurants go through by the bucket load is made from, among other local varietals, Insolia.

But unlike some wine grapes that are better-suited for blending or fortifying, Insolia is delicious on its own, and, as the New York Times recently described, "can be pleasurably inhaled for minutes." With aromas of bitter almond and orange zest giving way to clean, dry citrus notes on the palate, Insolia is intriguing and enjoyable. Recently, I received Feudo Principi di Butera's Insolia to sample and was thoroughly impressed. I enjoyed it with prosciutto tortellini and a zesty sundried tomato sauce. The 2007 vintage retails for around $10 nationally. Medium-bodied with good acidity, it's a great food wine.

Fans of pesto sauce who are seeking a white wine that will drink well into the fall can find a perfect match in Insolia. The grape pairs delightfully with the gritty, nuttiness of pesto sauce as well as the shellfish and seafood Sicily is so well known for. Try it with shrimp skewers marinated in pesto and olive oil or white fish served atop angel hair with pesto.