A German and a Kiwi walk into a cellar… wait, is that how that one goes?

Meet Nikolas and Waiata, two non-Italians making wine in Sicily—with some serious experience under their belts. Nikolas, originally from Germany, has been something of a globetrotter, making wine in Germany, South Africa, Chianti, Priorat, and later Sicily, where he became the manager of COS Winery, led by Giusto Occhipinti in Vittoria. It’s here that he and Waiata met, during her own tenure there. Waiata, originally from New Zealand, lived in Montpellier, France, in her teenage years and later worked as a sommelier in Melbourne and Paris before catching the winemaking bug.

The two fell in love in Sicily and continued their nomadic ways, spending two years with Domaine Matassa in Calce, followed by a stint at Kindeli Winery in Nelson, New Zealand. Sicily’s siren song soon called them back, and they returned in 2022 to buy a small vineyard (~3.8 hectares) that was for sale, perched on the hilltop of Chiaramonte Gulfi — the so-called “Balcony of Sicily” — surrounded by olive and citrus trees.

It’s a bit of an odd coupling: two nomads and a wine region that boasts a reputation for tradition and legacy. However, the expat lens Nik and Waiata bring to their land focuses years upon years of worldly wisdom, allowing them to capture the terroir from a new and fascinating angle. These are wines teeming with energy, almost dreamlike in their expression.

It would be hard to guess Nik and Waita’s elite winemaking pedigree just from speaking with them; they are the epitome of humble, gentle and kind. There is a real softness to the way they carry themselves—a quiet confidence full of intention, as hypnotic as the wines they bottle. They’re the kind of people who contain multitudes, yet with many stories still to tell in the canon of contemporary Sicily.

KALMA

Country: Italy

Region: Sicily

Sub-region or Appellation: Chiaramonte Gulfi

Winemakers: Nikolas Resin & Waiata May Kalma-de Jong

Viticulture: Certified Organic, but prefer to label of regenerative agriculture

Terroir: Clay, Limestone, Sand

Size: ~4 ha

Instagram: @kalma_wines

KALMA:: Via del Mare

This cuvée is made of purchased grapes from a friend in Marsala, in the province of Trapani. The hint of skin-contact accentuates a ripeness that is undercut with pronounced salinity and just a dollop of acid.

Vintage: 2023
Varieties: Grillo
Style: White Wine
ABV: 11.5%
Region: Sicily
Sub-Region or Appellation: Trapani
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Limestone, sand
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: Two-thirds of the Grillo are direct pressed and fermented in old barrels, while the remaining undergoes ten days of skin contact in demijohns.
Aging: Old tonneaux/demijohn
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: 7 mg/L at bottling

KALMA:: Lifasi

Featuring a label designed by 3-year-old Kaia, Lifasi is a wine with childlike whimsy, but a mature point of view. A coferment of red and white grapes with just a touch of wildness, marked by bramble and a lip-smacking finish.

Vintage: 2023
Varieties: Nero d’Avola, Merlot, Albanello, Grillo
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 12%
Region: Sicily
Sub-Region or Appellation: Chiaramonte Gulfi
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, limestone, sand
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: All varieties undergo ten days of whole-cluster fermentation together.
Aging: Old barrels and fiberglass
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: 7 mg/L at bottling

KALMA:: Fu Manchu

Pure, crunchy Frappato, with all of the savory edge you expect from the grape, coupled with a silky, elegant structure.

Vintage: 2023
Varieties: Frappato
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 12.5%
Region: Sicily
Sub-Region or Appellation: Chiaramonte Gulfi
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, limestone, sand
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 12 days on the skins in fiberglass
Aging: Concrete
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added

KALMA:: Heliocentric

A nod to Cerasuolo di Vittoria, featuring a 70/30 split of Nero d’Avola and Frappato. A slightly darker fruit profile than Fu Manchu but maintains a real deftness and crunch that other Nero d’Avola-based blends could only dream of. Strawberries, peppercorns, a hint of smoke, incredibly soft acidity, dreamlike.

Vintage: 2023
Varieties: Nero d’Avola, Frappato
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 12.5%
Region: Sicily
Sub-Region or Appellation: Chiaramonte Gulfi
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, limestone, sand
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: Whole-cluster
Aging: Old barrels
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added