Winemaker Notes
The De Zan and the Candoni families have been involved in winemaking since the late 1800’s. After having lived in the U.S. for 12 years, Armando De Zan, Elviana Candoni and their daughters Barbara and Caterina, have dedicated themselves to produce and export Italian Wines around the world.
"We are an Italian, family-run winery, committed to excellent winemaking for over one hundred years. We feel great pride and gratitude for the magic land we come from and want our Candoni Painted Bottles to be a celebration of its beauty and culture that the Ancient Romans started 2000 years ago. All our bottles are painted with a technique called serigraphy, which is a method of using ceramic natural colors melted on the glass of the bottle to create a unique piece of art. With our bottles, you will have the chance to bring home a piece of real Ancient Roman art, as each bottle represents an original fresco painting found on the Roman walls."
P.S.: Join the Candoni De Zan Sisters, Barbara and Caterina, for a journey through their family traditions, food recipes, Italian art and Italian lifestyle!
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.