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Centopassi and the Perricone ordeal

Thursday 27 May 2021
Perricone vineyard at Centopassi, Sicily

Walter casts off his prejudices during a tasting with a Mafia-buster.

I was never very aware of Perricone, an ancient red variety from Sicily which, with around 300 ha (740 acres) planted, is not exactly on the brink of extinction but is still rather rare. The first time it came on to my radar was as far back as 2013 when I tasted Centopassi's 2012 Cimento di Perricone, but I was never very impressed by any other Perricone, with the exception of Tasca's full-bodied, tannic version from 2015. I didn't warm to the variety because stylistically it reminded me of...

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