Strange as it may sound, some of the most elegant sparkling wines in the Mediterranean are born where the sun shines the strongest. We are in Campobello di Licata, in the Terre della Baronia, a corner of Sicily where the landscape is dominated by dazzling white hills. It is not snow, but a calcareous and clay-based soil that the Milazzo family has learned to interpret with unmatched skill. The history of the winery is tied to the pioneering vision of its founder. They were among the very first to believe that the Agrigento area could produce sparkling wines capable of competing with the world’s great names. It is no coincidence that the Milazzo family began experimenting with sparkling bases as early as the 1970s, when the idea of producing Sicilian “champagne” seemed like pure agronomic madness to most. Yet thanks to those experiments, today we can enjoy Milazzo Classico Brut, a fascinating blend of Inzolia and Chardonnay. The latter, introduced after years of clonal studies, provides elegance and the structural backbone necessary for ageing. A perfectly balanced marriage, where each variety plays a precise role. Harvesting is early and carried out by hand to preserve acidity. After the first fermentation, the second fermentation takes place in bottle according to the Traditional Method. The wine then rests on its lees for a minimum of 24 months in the estate’s cool underground cellars. During this long ageing, the yeasts release their richness, transforming a fresh must into a complex and velvety sparkling wine. In the glass, it shows a straw yellow colour with golden reflections, animated by a fine, numerous and very persistent perlage. On the nose, finesse dominates. Classic notes of bread crust and yeast are followed by hints of white flowers, citron zest and a touch of exotic fruit. On the palate, it is fresh, savoury and incredibly creamy. The bubbles do not bite, but gently caress the palate, finishing with a mineral, almost saline note that recalls the calcareous soil. A perfect aperitif, it also pairs beautifully with fried dishes and risottos. Its only limit? Our imagination!