Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé, Donnafugata, Sicily 2018

Ben Ryé means “Son of the Wind” named for the winds that sweep constantly around the vines on the island of Pantelleria. Some grapes are dried in the sun by the same wind, and added to the fermenting must, creating an extraordinarily rich wine, aged for at least 18 months before release.  A bouquet of apricots and candied orange peel is followed by a fresh and intense palate – the glorious sweetness followed by a refreshing finish.

When it comes to food and wine matching, I defer to the experts here – as we found on our wine tours to Sicily in 2017 and 2018, Donnafugata know what they are doing – we enjoyed a sublime tasting of eight of their wines with eight perfectly matched dishes.  Here’s what they say about the Ben Ryé:

It matches with caramelized duck, foie gras and blue cheeses. It goes well with pastries and gourmet chocolate like gianduja. Extraordinary alone, as a meditation wine.