InterWined.com

Liquid Refreshment

7

Apr

Sicilian Sunshine

Jacob Gaffney  in Red Wines, Nero d'Avola , , , , , ,

InterWined says, the term ‘Sicilian Sunshine in a bottle’ is being thrown around all too often these days. The reference regards the local red wine grape, Nero d’Avola, enjoying an extended surge in popularity. And why not? The best vintners are finally working the grape correctly — meaning they use inexpensive techniques to keep costs low, but without sacrificing the relative quality. The result is a slew of choices in the £5 to £8 range that are some of the best offers out there. But, tread carefully…there is a lot of garbage around Italy these days.

Be it the claims that surging levels of both commercial and residential waste in and around Naples are being improperly dumped, or worse, left to rot — leading to fears that buffalo milk is being contaminated, and therefore so is buffalo-based mozzarella — or the news last week of the increased scrutiny on Brunello wines (see last week’s posts) based on reports of potentially harmful contamination in the lower price spectrum.

So, if you want to play it safe, leave the mainland alone for awhile…and stick to our recommendations for an easy and cheap (and hopefully, clean) short term solution:

The 2006 Donna Fugata Sedara Nero d’Avola should cost around £7. And it’s everywhere. Maybe not the Sedara, but any Donna Fugata red is likely to be decent and well-priced. The wine is a pleasant violet colour, but not as deep as you may think. Most notable is the heavy blackberry and cherry presence that seems to dominate this wine, year in, year out. It’s light and delicious body equals plenty of good fun. There is also a touch of vanilla, and, inexplicably, rotating hints of pine pulp. Unusual, since the wine is aged in cement tanks…how’s that for thinking? 8.5 points

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