I’m sitting in one of the two tasting rooms of Mandrarossa’s cavernous new winery in Menfi, a comune in southwest Sicily. From the window, ocher-hued soil lined with verdant vines stretches to the azure sea, which glistens its way out to the horizon to meet a cloudless, even bluer sky. I’m sipping the Santannella wine, a blend comprising 70% Fiano and 30% Chenin Blanc.

I’ve tasted wines made from these two varietals on dozens of occasions but never as a single blend. The brightness, minerality, delicate smokiness, and nutty flavors are undercut by a quince and apple finish, two flavors I've come to associate with the Loire Valley's Vouvray Chenin Blanc wines. The flavors linger on my palate, affirming what I, an expat, believe is the biggest misconception about Italy: that Italians are stuck in their ways.