Lucido Catarratto Terre Siciliane IGT 2025

Wine description for Lucido Catarratto Terre Siciliane IGT 2025 by Marco de Bartoli

Colour & appearance

Medium-intense straw yellow, radiant and clear – just as the name promises: lucido, luminous.

Nose

Distinctly herbaceous: chamomile tea, mountain herbs and freshly mown summer meadow rise from the glass, followed by yellow-fruited notes of apricot, orange zest and medlar, underpinned by a cool impression of wet chalk.

Palate

Crystal-clear on entry, with crystalline precision – one can hardly believe that such a polished white wine comes from the southernmost corner of Europe. Orchestral acidity, fine phenolics and an invigorating aromatic profile meet a creamy texture and an extraordinary vibrancy. A wine with nerve yet remarkably easy to drink.

Finish

Taut and salty-mineral, the herbal spice lingers long, while the chalky note leaves a cooling, almost electric impression.

Terroir & origin

From the vineyards around Samperi near Marsala, where the de Bartoli family has been working limestone-rich soils since 1978. The 30 hectares are farmed organically and harvested entirely by hand – a work ethic established by the late Marco de Bartoli and now carried on by his children Renato, Sebastiano and Giuseppina.

Grape variety & vinification

Catarratto bianco lucido – Sicily’s most widely planted white grape variety, here in its “luminous” clonal variant, planted in 2000. The whole bunches are pressed, the free-run juice is spontaneously fermented in stainless steel and aged on the fine lees for seven months before being bottled with only minimal sulphur addition.

Food pairings

A natural companion to the Sicilian coast: Crudo di ricciola, Pasta con le sarde, grilled sardines with fennel salad or a simple plate of Pecorino primo sale with wild oregano. Also a revelation alongside Caponata or Panelle – Sicilian chickpea fritters.

Special characteristics

De Bartoli is regarded as a pioneer of the Sicilian natural wine movement – and this Lucido shows why: a wine of radical clarity from a region more commonly associated with weight. The combination of spontaneous fermentation, indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention produces a white wine that brings the Catarratto grape out of the shadow of the more famous Grillo, giving it its own distinctive voice.