Sauternes, Tokay, Vin Santo. The great dessert wines of the world all offer inimitable charms. While I’ve had occasion to enjoy many in their place of creation, I’ve seldom tasted one that sung so firmly and sweetly of its homeland as Ben Ryé by Donnafugata.

From an island positioned between Sicily and North Africa, comes this white passito-style wine made from the aromatic grape Zibibbo. I've never visited Pantelleria; I’ve only read about the “heroic” viticulture practiced by island farmers to ensure enough grapes survive each harvest to make limited quantities of this expression.