Passito di Nika

The wine of the Mediterranean Sea.

To the south of the western most tip of Sicily and closer to Africa than to Europe,
lies the “black pearl of the Mediterranean”, the volcanic island of Pantelleria. The
largest of all Sicilian islands it was the first stepping stone for the Arab invasion of
Sicily in the eighth century AD and it is told that its name derives from the Arabic
"Bent-el Riah" - Daughter of the Wind. Arabic influences are most evident: the
traditional houses, "Dammusi" (of which more later), were first built in the 10th
Century during Maghreb dominion and the two most famous local wines, Moscato
and Passito are made from Zibibbo grapes, which were imported by the Arabs,
and many Arabic place names remain. As the origin of the name might suggest,
the climate is dominated by the gentle breezes that blow almost continuously.
Being surrounded by the sea even if rainfalls are just 350mm in a year, the
agriculture is florid since the nightly moisture is collected through ingenious
agricultural architectures the Jardinu (the garden) and the holes beneath the vine
trees.