white grape · regional staple
Catarratto
western Sicily, Italy
Say it
kah·tar·rah·toh
four syllables; stress on the penultimate; final vowel open and voiced
On the palate
lemongrapefruitorange peelorange blossomalmondfennel
How you spot it blind: Sicily's most-planted white; citrus-forward with a characteristic bitter-almond finish
The story
First written down · 1696, Sicily
First named by Francesco Cupani in his 1696 Hortus Catholicus; DNA analysis confirmed parentage of Garganega × Mantonico Bianco and established Catarratto as a parent of Grillo.
Family tree: Garganega × Mantonico Bianco
Where it lives
Trapani (Sicily) · Palermo (Sicily) · Agrigento (Sicily)
Shows up as
still whitefortifiedorange