Storia
The Nika project
Nika is a Pantelleria estate built around Zibibbo cultivated on the island’s volcanic terrain using the traditional Alberello Pantesco system. Its identity connects the island’s wind-shaped viticultural landscape with the production of Passito di Pantelleria.
A second project, Bollicine di Nika, developed from Nicolò’s ambition to create an Italian sparkling wine after working in the cellars of Pol Roger. He selected Pinot Noir from a leading vineyard in Oltrepo Pavese for the sparkling base, then connected it to Nika by creating a liqueur d’expédition based on Passito di Nika. The resulting concept joins northern Italian Pinot Noir with sun-dried Pantelleria Zibibbo.
2017 vintage
The 2017 season was hot from May onward, and the vines’ phenological stages advanced by about ten days. July was exceptionally hot and dry, producing slight water stress that encouraged the onset of ripening. Temperatures remained high through August and September, although intermittent rain helped the grapes complete an early ripening cycle. Production of Passito di Nika from this vintage amounted to 10,000 bottles.
Terroir
Nika is associated with Pantelleria, the volcanic island south of Sicily’s western extremity and closer to Africa than to Europe. The vineyards lie between 80 and 150 m above sea level. The specifically documented 1.1 ha Zibibbo vineyard occupies a west-facing coastal position at 135 m and has volcanic soil.
Pantelleria’s climate is shaped by the surrounding sea, strong winds and nearly continuous breezes. Annual rainfall is approximately 350 mm, making night-time humidity an important water source. Traditional agricultural structures capture this moisture: the depressions dug around individual vines collect condensation and dew, while the island’s Jardinu performs a related water-conserving function.
The estate landscape reflects the island’s exposed conditions. Vines grow low in small depressions, olive trees extend across volcanic rock, and capers flourish under intense sunlight.
Vinificazione
Zibibbo is cultivated using Alberello Pantesco, the traditional low bush-vine system of Pantelleria recognized by UNESCO. Each vine is set within a small hollow dug into the ground. This structure protects the plant from the island’s strong winds and intense sun while capturing water from night-time condensation and dew.
Harvesting is performed by hand. Passito production divides the crop into separate pickings: grapes harvested in late August are laid out to dry under the Mediterranean sun, while another crop is gathered in September for fermentation. The 2017 technical data record a grape yield of 70 q/ha and a finished-wine yield of 50 hl/ha.
Passito di Nika
A first selection of Zibibbo is harvested by hand in late August and dried in the sun. The dried grapes are subsequently pressed and destemmed. A second crop is harvested in September and begins fermentation in stainless-steel vats. The dried fruit is introduced gradually into the fermenting must and left to macerate, initiating a further fermentation and transferring sugars, aromas and aromatic precursors from the raisins. The process is associated with the wine’s almond, apricot and citrus characteristics.
Bollicine di Nika
The sparkling base is made from hand-picked Pinot Noir sourced from a selected vineyard in Oltrepo Pavese. Following soft pressing, the must ferments at a controlled temperature of 15–20°C. The prise de mousse uses selected yeasts, after which the wine remains in tirage for 24 months in an ageing cellar maintained at 10–11°C. Disgorgement is followed by the addition of a proprietary liqueur d’expédition based on Passito di Nika, bringing Pantelleria Zibibbo into the final composition. The finished wine contains sulphites.
Filosofia
Nika’s viticultural identity is rooted in adaptation to Pantelleria’s exposed volcanic environment. The Alberello Pantesco system treats wind, sun and scarce rainfall as defining conditions: vines are kept low, protected within individual hollows and supplied in part by moisture captured from night-time condensation. Farming under these conditions is characterized as a form of heroic agriculture.
Bollicine di Nika expresses a complementary creative principle. Nicolò sought to work without appellation constraints, bringing together the freshness of northern Italian Pinot Noir and the aromatic character of sun-dried Pantelleria Zibibbo. Passito di Nika serves as the link between these places through its use in the sparkling wine’s dosage liqueur.
Vini
Passito di Nika
