Assuli Wines with Luca Muscente

We are delighted to welcome Luca Muscente, export manager for Tenuta Assuli, to the tasting bar on Wednesday, May 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to introduce us to one of Sicily's quietly remarkable estates.

Tenuta Assuli sits in Mazara del Vallo, on the sun-soaked southwestern coast of Sicily — closer in spirit to North Africa than to mainland Italy, and a long way from the volcanic Etna terroir most American drinkers associate with Sicilian wine. The estate is family-run by the Caruso family, who have spent the last few decades building a reputation for wines that take Sicily's indigenous grapes seriously without leaning on the heavy, jammy style the island is sometimes pigeonholed into. The vineyards are certified organic and farmed with sustainable viticulture practices — an approach that matches the restraint of the wines themselves.

The lineup runs across the native varietals: Nero d'Avola as the flagship red, joined by Perricone; whites built on Grillo, Insolia, Catarratto, and Zibibbo. The house style aims for elegance and freshness over power — wines that are food-friendly, balanced, and made to express the warm, dry, breezy character of the western Sicilian coast. If you've been drinking Sicilian wine mostly in the big, ripe Nero d'Avola register and want to see what the island looks like with more restraint, this is a good place to start.

Luca will be at the tasting bar to walk us through the wines, talk about the estate, and answer questions. As export manager, he sees the bigger picture of how Assuli's wines land in markets around the world, which makes him an unusually good guide to what Assuli is trying to do — and why these wines are worth slowing down for. Come thirsty, come curious, and bring your questions.

This tasting is free.