Caruso & Minini Antura Grillo

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It is really, really tricky when on location to juggle the photographers hat and the one wine writers wear. You can either write meaningful tasting notes, jot down details of whatever winery you happen to be in, the odd historic titbit you think you might be able to hang a story off and the names of the wine maker or vineyard name. Or you can switch into photo mode where the visual takes precedent and the eye seldom leaves the cameras view finder. Notes are near impossible. Or so I find. At Caruso & Minini I attempted to do both – capturing pictures of the tasting bottles, the darn tasty nibbles served alongside and write down some notes. I failed miserably at both. I cant read half the notes I scribbled down and the photos are, if I’m honest, piss-poor with badly selected focus points, grainy due to excessively high ISO and messy backgrounds.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Caruso & Minini; it is one of the larger operations (that is one of the stainless steel tank rooms gracing the bottom of the page) in this north-west corner of Sicily. But I really enjoyed the Timpune Grillo (that’s a white), the Sachia Perricone and the Frappato/Nerello Mascalese blend (they are both red wines). Another winery where I am regretting not slapping that credit card on the counter and walking away with a bottle or two. But I didn’t.

So on my return to the UK I’ve been hunting down their wines. Being a larger producer allows them the luxury of specific blends and unique labels for retailer. They have wines in Tesco and Marks & Spencers. Though a trip to both stores in Oxford yielded zero results.

M&S online shows the Caruso & Minini Grillo at £49.96 for six bottles, a Greciano (£42) and the Perricone (£56).

And then, while completing my weekly Ocado order, I chanced upon a Grillo from Caruso & Minini under the Antura label. It was on offer at the time – these things come and go – but is now listed at £9.99 a bottle.