Veeno · Caruso & Minini · Marsala, Sicily

Wine Bible

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Notes by Nino Caruso

1800
Founded
120
Hectares
100%
Organic

Chapter One

Our story

N

Nino Caruso

Founder, Veeno

"I hope you will enjoy my family's wines."

"My grandfather Nino, who I was named after, has always been my greatest inspiration."

Our wine comes from our own family vineyard in Sicily in the south of Italy — a story that started over 120 years ago when our great grandfather planted the first vines.

Since then, four generations dedicated their lives to cultivating grapes and making the finest wines from the most beautiful grapes in Sicily. In 2013, I started Veeno with the mission of sharing this delicious nectar from my family tradition with you here overseas.

Stefano
Winery director
Giovanna & Rosanna
Next generation

Today my uncle Stefano is joined by his two daughters Giovanna and Rosanna, who are actively taking part in the daily work at the winery. Tradition and competence, with a look into the future.

Laboratorio Zanzara

Every label is hand-drawn by the artists of Laboratorio Zanzara — a Turin cooperative for children with disabilities. They visited our vineyards, walking the vines to observe the soil, the light, the wildflowers: borage among the Perricone, mustard blooms around the Catarratto. Each label is a portrait of the land. Two families on every bottle — ours, and theirs.

Chapter Two

Our vineyard

Caruso & Minini is based in Marsala, on the far western tip of Sicily — a winery with a long history, well-known worldwide. 120 hectares, certified organic, and every bottle shipped directly from family hands to your glass. No distributor. No middleman.

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Marsala, Sicily
Western tip of the island. Sea air brings a natural salinity to our whites.
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Climate
Mediterranean sun. Cool sea winds preserve freshness and acidity.
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Soils
Sandy, clay and limestone across 120 hectares of organic farmland.
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Certified organic
No synthetics. The wildflowers between our vines are part of how we farm.

Chapter Three

The wines

Every wine comes directly from Caruso & Minini. Family to glass. You won't find most of these anywhere else in the UK.

White

Lillo Grillo

Grillo · Organic · 12.5%

Our Driest

Grown on the highest hill to exalt freshness and flavour, aged in oak and acacia tonneaux for a delicate woody note. Mineral, dry, with a saltiness that carries the sea.

Pairs with: Grilled swordfish, refined fish and vegetable pastas.

White

Zolì Inzolia

Inzolia · 12.5%

Our Fruitiest

Clean and graceful, with an intense bouquet of soft refinement. Fruity, crisp and soft on the palate — persistent and intense in the mouth.

Pairs with: Mushroom pasta, baked fish, white meats, dairy entrées.

Rosé

Frappo Frappato

Frappato · 12.5%

Delicate & floral

Delicate, floral, with red berry and freshness. A light and charming rosé that captures the playful side of the Frappato grape at its most expressive.

Pairs with: Light antipasti, seafood, fresh salads.

Red

Frappello

Frappato & Nerello Mascalese · 13.5%

Our Smoothest

A perfect equilibrium between the notable tannins of Nerello Mascalese and the low tannins of Frappato. Light, refreshing, with a full bouquet — notes of spices and wild berries, notable acidity.

Pairs with: Fish, meat, medium-aged cheeses.

Red

Perripò Perricone

Perricone · Organic · 13.5%

Spice & herbs

For decades Perricone was the undisputed king of red grapes in western Sicily. Rich with red fruits and notes of liquorice — a wine of great power and harmony, expressing a fresh and lively character.

Pairs with: Charcuterie, salty antipasti, veggie pies, cheeses.

Orange

Arancino Catarratto

Catarratto · 12%

Extended skin contact

Amber in colour, complex, and constantly changing with every sip. A wine that bridges white and red — endlessly interesting.

Pairs with: Aged cheeses, rich fish dishes, charcuterie.

Red

Nino

15%

Named for my grandfather Antonino

The most complex wine we make. A project of love. Label by cousin Antonio. Intense, rich and completely unique — a bottle that carries the full weight of four generations.

Best enjoyed: Slowly, with good company.

Chapter Four

Wine glossary

A few words worth knowing as you explore the wines tonight.

ABV
Alcohol by volume — the standard measure of how much alcohol is in a given volume of wine.
Tannin
A textural element that makes wine taste dry. Higher in Nerello Mascalese, lower in Frappato — which is why Frappello feels so smooth.
Maceration
The process through which tannins, colour and flavour compounds are drawn from grape skins into the juice. Longer maceration gives more structure and colour.
Fermentation
The process that converts grape sugar into alcohol. Yeasts found naturally on grape skins trigger this reaction.
Cryomaceration
Grapes held at around 4°C before fermentation to preserve delicate floral aromas. Used in our whites including Lillo Grillo and Zolì.
Malolactic fermentation
A secondary process converting sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid — used in reds to create a rounder, smoother palate.
Dry
Wines with little or no residual sugar after fermentation. Most of our wines are dry.
Organic wine
Made from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers. All our estate wines are certified organic.
Tonneau
A large French oak cask holding 600 litres. Used to age our Lillo Grillo, giving it a delicate note of oak and acacia.
Blind tasting
Evaluating a wine without knowing what it is — the most honest way to assess quality, free of label bias.
Magnum
A 1.5 litre bottle — equal to 2 standard bottles. Wine ages more slowly and gracefully in a magnum.

Four generations. One family.
Every bottle tells the story.

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Caruso & Minini · Marsala, Sicily · Since 1800