The story of how we came to work with Alessandro Viola encapsulates why I love being a wine importer. Years ago, in a wonderful wine bar in Brooklyn called The Four Horsemen, I put my wine selection in the hands of a capable server and asked him to pour me a glass of the white wine that he was most excited about in that moment. He returned to the table with a glass of slightly hazy silvery white wine. I immediately fell in love. What was this sublime elixir? I had to know. It was Alessandro Viola´s Note di Bianco. Slightly buzzed after dinner - and more than one glass of Note di Bianco - I started upon what became an odyssey to track down the producer, in the hopes of importing his wines to Mexico. At that time, Alessandro had no website, no assistant. There was no obvious way of contacting him. Like a schoolgirl with a crush, I resorted to sending a message to his personal Facebook account, gushing shamelessly. Eventually, he responded. A year later when we were in Sicily, Gonzalo, my husband and I set out in a micro rental car to visit Alessandro, his partner Lucia and their little boy Adriano. They welcomed us into their home, cooked a salt-crusted lñocal fish for us and tasted us on all of their wines.

Alessandro hails from a wine making family. He learned the craft from his father, and both he and his brother continued in the family tradition. However, while Alessandro´s father sold his grapes to the local cooperative where they were blended with other local fruit, Alessandro had something more ambitious in mind for himself. He studied eneology, and then traveled to see how wine was made in other parts of the world. Alessandro was particularly inspired by what he learned in Georgia. The use of amphora, a slightly oxidative style, a commitment to autochthonous varietals- we see these influences in the wines that he makes in his ancestral land - the western edge of Sicily. 

Alessandro has become a darling in the natural winemaking world. Yet he remains decidedly grounded. It is a small, honest, homespun project to which he and Lucia lovingly tend. Alessandro works the vineyards and cellars. Lucia manages the business and designs the gorgeous labels. Production is limited, and the wines are available by allocation only. In my opinion, these wines show the best side of natural winemaking. The world of natural wines is an interesting one. When natural wines are made well, they are incredibly exciting to drink - lively, expressive, individualistic. However, when the utmost care and skill is not employed, natural wines can be challenging - lacking balance, overly funky, imprecise. Alessandro´s wines are a wonderful rarity. They are alive, unique, exciting and utterly delicious. They have complete balance. These are charming, vibrant wines - to be enjoyed by all lovers of wine - whether we're talking about your handsome hipster neighbor or your discerning, classy grandmother.