Pure Flavor Pure Finesse - Firriato Nero d'Avola "Chiaramonte" 2011

As I've become more and more enamored of Italian wines in general, I've also become more and more a fan of the offerings of Sicily. As Italy's southernmost wine region, Sicily is hot, make no mistake about it, but it also receives adequate rainfall and cooling ocean breezes that help slow ripening. In addition, because of the dry conditions, mildew is less of a problem so chemical fungicides are rarely needed. Nero d'Avola is the most important red grape on the island and wines made from it are now quite prominent on retailer's shelves.

Firrriato is a very large and forward thinking operation with six different estates producing wine. All their vineyard holdings are certified organic. In addition, their philosophy revolves around producing wine that is true to each individual terroir. There is no "house" style of Nero d'Avola, nor of any other varietal that they work with.

Vines of Firriato's Dagala Borromeo Estate

The 2011 "Chiaramonte" Nero d'Avola is not the most current vintage - 2013 is. As such, the '11 has been sitting no my retailer's shelf for a bit and the label for the current vintage is now different than it was for the '11. This bottling comes from Firriato's Dagala Borromeo estate in Northeastern Sicily. The soil here is silt and clay with a layer of stones on top. This wine has beautiful aromatics led by black cherry with black pepper, brown spices and licorice. It's medium-bodied in the mouth with soft cherry fruit, iron and coffee elements. It finishes medium-long with a note of cloves. Firriato is imported by Soilair Selection, a small company out of New York that has a very nice portfolio. This beautiful everyday Nero d'Avola cost me $13.99. Bottoms up!

Tasca d'Almerita Nero d'Avola Regaleali 2012

Italian wines usually make up the majority of the inventory both in my cellar, and my everyday kitchen rack. For me, no other country offers so much wine diversity in both reds and whites. Sicily has been at the forefront of the wine geek consciousness for awhile now and more and more excellent wines from one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world are finding their way on to retailer's shelves. Sicily is the third largest wine-producing region in Italy and its warm, dry climate is particularly suited to producing wine grapes. The lack of humidity means that there is very little fungal disease pressure on growers, enabling them to produce with little use of sulfur or fungicide sprays. The consistency of the Sicilian weather means you really don't have to pay too much attention to vintage when purchasing these wines.

Nero d'Avola is Sicily's most important red grape and according to Ian d'Agata and his exhaustive encyclopedia "Native Wine Grapes of Italy", it is Italy's 7th most planted grape variety in general. Furthermore, there are apparently many sub-types of Nero d'Avola which my explain why some examples of these wines are heavier and more extracted with lower acidity while some others can be quite delicate, even Pinot Noir like in their color and texture.

Anyway, Nero d'Avolas in the everyday category can be quite good and Tasca d'Almerita's Regaleali bottling is always one of the sure bets year in and year out. Winebow is the importer and the 2012 bottling cost me a wallet loving $11.99. Winebow is a national company so it should be available in lots of places. This delicious wine has prominent aromas of ripe, sweet cherries and raspberry along with very minerally, stony notes and brown spices. There's a lush fruity mid-palate and a velvety texture, but excellent acidity and cut. The vines that produce the grapes for this bottling live between 1,500 and 2,500 ft of altitude which partially explains the stony elements in the nose. In addition, prior to bottling, 50% of the wine is aged in stainless and 50% is aged in Slavonian oak. Cheers!

Another Day, Another Nero d'Avola - Tenuta Rapitala Campo Reale 2011

I haven't written this bottling up for awhile but I'm sure glad I picked up the current vintage at my local shop last weekend. I'm not sure why, but entry level Nero d'Avolas can be so elegant and almost burgundy-like, translucent with wonderful secondary aromas and flavors. The more expensive examples that are deep, dark and heavily extracted are, for my money, frequently one dimensional and less interesting.

Tenuta Rapitala's vines for this bottling sit at around 400 meters in altitude and the soil is mostly sand and clay. It's fermented in stainless steel and then 20% of the wine gets four months in used oak - just enough to give it some structure and spice without overshadowing the fruit. This is about as pleasing and flavorful as you can get for $9.99.

Light see-through ruby in color, the aromas yield spicy black cherry and raspberry with supporting elements of leather and iron. With a velvety texture, the medium bodied red berry flavors finish long and pleasant with soft tannins and a note of bitter cherry on the back end. This went great with balsamic glazed chicken wings and pasta with pesto. Imported by one of my faves, Frederick Wildman. Cheers.

"Love" Sicilian Style - Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola 2009

Apparently Lamuri means love in the local Sicilian dialect where this great little wine hails from. Well, a few sips of this $14.99 beauty will have you head over heels as well. It's interesting to me that a wine of such balance and finesse can be produced in such a hot climate. Perhaps the 2500 ft. altitude of the vines and the mere 2.4 tons per acre yield help with the balance before the grapes are even in the fermenter. Clay, limestone and sandy soils also contribute nuance to the flavors. Once fermentation is complete, the Lamuri spends a year in new and used French oak barrels.

Nero d'Avola is the most important grape of Sicily, indigenous and having been grown there for hundreds of years. It thrives in the heat and ripens without losing too much acidity. Tasca d'Almerita is a very large producer with properties all over the island and a couple of dozen or so bottlings. For me, usually smaller is better, but it's hard to quibble with a producer that always seems to make good stuff, despite the 3.3 million bottles or so produced annually.

The Lamuri leads with a translucent ruby color and wonderful bright red cherry and raspberry aromas complicated with smoke and herbal elements. The palate is medium bodied and smooth in texture with the bright red berries dominating and stony elements and a cinnamon note in the background. It finishes a bit short but very smooth with silky tannins. Imported by Winebow, this great little wine will go great with tomato sauces, bolognese or a simple grilled chicken. Cheers!

Case Ibidini Nero d'Avola 2009

Nero d'Avola, Sicily's most important grape, is often compared to Australian Shirazes. And while they share a warm climate with plenty of sun and little rain, this comparison usually doesn't work for me, especially at the everyday level. I find most Nero d'Avolas more balanced and food friendly than the aforementioned Australian wines, whose flavors run much more to raisiny over-ripeness and high alcohol. This version, another fine product of Polaner Selections, cost me an affordable $11.99. Produced by Valle dell'Acate, a winery now under 6th generation management, this graceful red delivers the goods. A beautiful translucent ruby color yields delicate raspberry, maraschino cherry and a stony minerality on the nose. The mouth filling yet somewhat high toned medium-bodied flavors run toward tart cherry and pomegranate with bracing acidity and a long, smooth finish. This paired very well with pasta with escarole and basil from the garden and cannellini beans. I'll take this over Australian Shiraz any day. Cheers.

Colosi Rosso 2009

   One of the first good, inexpensive wines I encountered on my wine journey was the Colosi Rosso. It delivered the goods at a very affordable price and it was a staple in my kitchen. Time and experience have taken me down many side roads on this journey but when I sampled the Colosi again recently, I was glad to see that things had not changed much. This bottling, which is made entirely from Nero d'Avola, the most important grape of Sicily, is almost a sure bet year in and year out. It's fermented entirely in stainless steel and sees a short 6 months in Slavonian oak. It's got attractive aromatics of plum, baked cherry and coffee, excellent medium-bodied dark cherry and over-ripe raspberry flavors and wonderful acidity which gives it lift. It finishes lightly tannic and long with some herbal notes. You can absolutely not do much better for $8.99 a bottle. Imported by one of my favorites, Vias, this is one bottle you should not hesitate to try with a tomato based pasta sauce or your favorite pizza. Cheers!

Purato Nero d'Avola 2010

   Some of my favorite everyday wines are coming out of Sicily these days. There's a purity of fruit, some stony terroir and prices that are extremely wallet friendly. A case in point is the lovely $9.99 Purato Nero d'Avola 2010. It's got big aromatics that bring to mind raspberry jam and baked cherries, brown spices and a distinct stoniness. There's a wonderful fruity mid-palate and excellent balancing acidity. In addition, this mid-week crowd pleaser is produced from organically grown grapes while the package features recycled paper, glass and vegetable ink. You can't much greener than that while you're tossing down red, that's for sure.

Produced by Feudo di Santa Tresa and imported by one of my favorites, Vias, this great little wine will pair perfectly with your bolognese, roast chicken, pizza or the rustic and delicious sausage and black-eyed peas my lovely wife Janet made us tonight. Cheers to one and all.

Colosi Nero d'Avola '09

Colosi is a producer whose wines I have been drinking for years. It's a name that is synonymous with quality year in and year out. Their '09 Nero d'Avola from Sicily is a case in point. This wine features beautiful cherry and violet aromas, bright, juicy red fruit flavors and a touch of minerality in the finish. It's fairly large in the mid-palate, quite smooth in texture and exhibits none of the baked fruit aromas and flavors that can sometimes accompany wines from hot climates. There's no over-ripeness here. And, at $11.99 it won't hurt your wallet. Nero d'Avola is the most important grape of Sicily and it comes in a range of styles. The style of this wine however is really easy to like. It's also a nice package. Imported by one of my favorites, Vias, their portfolio is one you should seek out. Cheers.