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Tasca d'Almerita, Tenuta Regaleali Bianco 2016

WhiteItaly2016

By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-01-04 · Published 2026-09-16 · Updated 2026-09-16

In one paragraphTenuta Regaleali Bianco 2016 is a white wine from the Regaleali estate in Contea di Sclafani, inland Sicily, blending three native varieties — Catarratto, Inzolia and Grecanico — with a small amount of Chardonnay (roughly 34/31/29/6%), at 12% ABV. In 1830, brothers Lucio and Carmelo Mastrogiovanni Tasca bought this 1,200-hectare estate in Sicily's rural interior and brought in agricultural methods that were strikingly modern for the time; the winery is now run by the eighth generation of the same family. On Vivino this 2016 vintage has 1,471 ratings averaging 3.7 (3.8 across all 15,185 ratings for the wine), with no listed critic scores. The nose leads with pear, apple and peach (571 mentions), followed by citrus and lemon (380). Structure: acidity 2.8/5, intensity 3.5, sweetness 1.5. The recommended drinking window, 2018–2024, has already closed. I scored it 3.0 on 4 January 2020. Price: US$18 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026).

At a glance

No critic scores are listed on Vivino.

Market note: Per Tasca d'Almerita's official product page, the blend is Catarratto 34%, Inzolia 31%, Grecanico 29% and Chardonnay 6%. The 2016 vintage sold for US$12.99 on wine.com (now sold out, replaced by the 2020 vintage at US$12.97).

What this wine is

In 1830, brothers Lucio and Carmelo Mastrogiovanni Tasca bought 1,200 hectares deep in inland Sicily. At the time, Sicily's interior was an agricultural backwater, but the brothers brought in "the most modern agricultural technology available" and turned Regaleali into a model estate. In the 1840s, Lucio's wife's dowry brought the family Villa Camastra in Palermo (now Villa Tasca), and by 1854 Regaleali was recognized as a "model farm" in agricultural records. When phylloxera swept Europe in the late 1800s, the family built their own nursery to graft vines onto American rootstock and survive the crisis. The winery is now run by the eighth generation of the family, and while it has since expanded to Capofaro on Salina (2001) and Tascante on Etna (2006), Regaleali remains its heart.

One thing needs correcting about this particular wine, though. In my note from 4 January 2020 I wrote "pale green-gold color Chardonnay," but Regaleali Bianco isn't actually a Chardonnay wine. Per Tasca d'Almerita's own product page, the blend is Catarratto 34%, Inzolia 31% and Grecanico 29% — Sicilian native grapes doing the heavy lifting — with Chardonnay at just 6%. The "vanilla and butter, Chardonnay-like softness" I noted may well be real, coming from oak or bottle aging, but the grape itself was a guess, and a wrong one. Setting the record straight here.

What the world says

This 2016 vintage has been rated by 1,471 people on Vivino, averaging 3.7 — slightly below the 3.8 average across all 15,185 ratings for the wine. No critic scores are listed.

The flavor keywords lead with the pear, apple, green apple and peach group (571 mentions), followed by citrus and lemon (380). Structure: acidity at 2.8/5 is on the lower side among the whites this magazine has covered, with intensity at a middling 3.5 — a soft, rounded profile that fits Vivino's "Southern Italy White" style tag.

"3.8 points. Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali Bianco Sicilia 2016. Crisp, simple and gentle. Aroma from citrus, peach, apple candy and butter. Paired with arugula and hard cheese." — Vivino review, Oct 2017, 4.0 stars

"Regional Sicilian wine: Inzolia, Grecanico, Catarratto and a bit of Chardonnay. Transparent, but already aged. Salt at first, then leather and soil notes." — Vivino review, Mar 2018, 4.0 stars

That second review, interestingly, gets the exact varietal composition right — a contrast to my own note, which flatly called it Chardonnay. The recommended drinking window, 2018–2024, has already passed as of now.

How I drank it

4 January 2020, 3.0 stars. "Pale green gold color Chardonnay. Citrus, toast, peach, pineapple, grapefruit, starfruit, vanilla, minerals, stone, hay, lemon. At the right temperature you can feel the soft vanilla and butter aromas typical of Chardonnay — beautiful. After the parade of tropical fruit and other fruits, the softness that pulls it back together is what makes this wine appealing." Eleven flavor keywords is a lot for a note this short — it clearly made an impression — but as noted above, the "Chardonnay" premise itself was wrong.

That same day I opened four bottles total: Delamotte Brut (4.5), Tommasi Amarone 2015 (4.5), and a re-tasting of Natale Verga Moscato d'Asti (4.5). This Regaleali Bianco got the lowest score of the four (3.0) — notably lower on a night when the other three all landed at 4.5.

My score also sits 0.7 below the community average of 3.7. I can't claim a direct cause and effect between the grape mix-up and the lower score, but it's plausible that reading pineapple and starfruit through a "Chardonnay-ness" lens, rather than as what Catarratto, Inzolia and Grecanico actually give you, set up an expectation the wine didn't quite meet. Tasting it again knowing the real blend might land differently.

Vivino community data

2016 vintage rating distribution (1471 ratings, average 3.7)

Most-mentioned aromas

Structure: Acidity 2.8/5 · Intensity 3.5/5 · Sweetness 1.5/5

Average by vintage (all vintages: 15185 ratings, average 3.8)

My original note (Vivino, 2020-01-04)

Frequently asked questions

Links & sources

View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher

• Vivino — wine page and community data
• Tasca d'Almerita official — Our Story
• Tasca d'Almerita official — Regaleali Bianco
• Wine.com — Regaleali Bianco 2016