The dark Sicilian
By Pauline D loh (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-09 10:54
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It has all the classic qualities of a good Italian - tall, dark, full-bodied, a little spicy and with true-blue Sicilian gusto. Forget about the straw-bottomed Chianti of your distant youth, it's time to get acquainted with Nero D'Avola, one of Sicily's most popular reds, and often compared with the best Australian Shiraz.
This is an old grape and Sicily's best-selling varietal. Up until about 30 years ago, it was used mainly to boost weaker wines from France and other parts of Italy. Like the other god-fathers on this island, Nero D'Avola is known for its strength and fortitude and winemakers made use of its robust body to make softer vintages more palatable.
Named after Avola, a tiny town in southeast Sicily, the grape is also known by its other names - Calabrese D'Avola, Calabrese De Calabria, Calabrese Di Noto and Calabrese Dolce among others.
Better viticulture techniques slowly brought this grape into its own. For one, harvesting after sundown and storing the juice in cooled vats tempered its overpowering elements and allowed the more subtle qualities to surface.
The result is a very drinkable wine that has been compared with the Shiraz or Syrah varietals.
And how does this Sicilian fare at the dining table?
It is a wine that demands your full attention and it is not to be ignored or absent-mindedly sipped between mouthfuls of pasta.
Order a bottle before dinner while you are browsing the menu, or after dinner when the eating is done and the company is relaxed. Swirl it in your glass and enjoy the dark, rich color. Then sip it and feel it slip down the throat, tasting the plums and peppers.
The tannins in this wine are soft as a baby's touch, with very little astringency, although it is very big in flavor, full of rich berries and occasionally, even a hint of licorice.
This gentle giant makes a most satisfying end to an excellent Italian dinner. Best of all, it will not break the bank. In Beijing, it retails for just under 100 yuan ($15) at good cellars and the wine section of larger supermarkets.