Cree LeFavour

Image from The Wine Bottega

When it comes to the Contadino 7, made from Nerello Mascalese, Coda di Volpe, Alicante and other local varietals too old to identify, I’m with the fans. This is red with a difference. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you that this natural, biodynamic wine from the naughty Sicilian, Frank Cornelissen, really is unusual. I think it makes a stunning summer wine, served lightly chilled.

Peony pink in its clear bottle and ever so slightly cloudy (handle it carefully since there’s lots of yeasty sediment) the Contadino 7 is the color of the best Bandol rosé. The aromatics driving this wine are powerful, surprising, and ground-breaking. You’ll find plenty of fruit and flowers to fall for, most notably bright red cherry intermingled with fresh pomegranate kernels. Laced in the nose and across the palate are subtle hints of rose petal along with delicious freshly baked bread. Those toasty yeasts might surprise you when you find them for the first time. You’ll taste them, too, right through the bubbles. (Yep, there's a good bit of fizz here.) With terrific, balanced acidity and a crisp, clean finish, this wine makes a good show on the palate while remaining remarkably light bodied. 

When it comes to natural wine, it helps to have an open mind because words like funky, unpredictable and weird are going to find their way into your tasting vocabulary – if they aren’t there already. I think this is a good thing. In a world of sterile, dull, predictable mass production, the Contadino 7 is its own girl. 

Cornelissen makes his diverse wines not far from Mt. Etna, about 1000 meters above sea level in Sicily. He’s a big believer in the idea of nature and time as key elements in his winemaking process. Sure, most vintners embrace these ideas through a wine’s vintage and through their understanding of terroir. From what I’ve read, Frank takes both concepts to the extreme. He considers variables of time and nature as essential elements in shaping his wine at every stage. From the length of the growing season through fermentation and elevage he lets time and nature have their way. That means no refrigeration, no pesticides, herbicides or additives and generally very little manipulation of the natural product. By the way, Cornelissen really means it when he says he doesn’t use sulfur (or any other additives). He doesn’t use it in the vineyard or in the winemaking process and he doesn’t even use it to clean anything in the winery. Instead, he uses grappa (made from his own grapes) and steam.

One the best things about this wine – and there are plenty – is just how versatile it is. I want to have it with everything from spicy Thai cucumber-chicken salad to a Szechuan hot-pot, from a fish taco to cheese cake with fresh raspberries. In other words, it’s as versatile as beer – but way better! The wine is imported by the quirky, cool, sweet Zev Rovine of Zev Selctions.