Nero d'Avola means "black grape of Avola", Avola being the commune in Sicily where it possibly could have originated. The fact that it's also known as Cabrese leads some to believe that it's from Calabria, on the mainland of Italy. Regardless, chances are that the ancient Greeks, while colonizing Sicily, were the first to cultivate it on the island. They implemented low vine training for this variety to bring out its true personality in such heat, and that viticulture strategy is still used on the Nero d'Avola vines today.
Today, Nero d'Avola is Sicily's most widely planted grape! Even though it had the nickname "the Shiraz of Italy" for a little bit there due to its profile similarities with Shiraz, as Sicily begins to embrace and promote their different wine growing regions, different styles of Nero from different areas of Sicily are beginning to emerge. In the west of the island you'll find the wine to be bold with concentrated fruit juiciness. From the central areas of the island it tends to be lighter and more tart with red fruits. Then in the East, where it is native, it can be plummy and chocolatey and spicy like a Shiraz.
Nero d'Avola is one of those hidden treasures that you may have never heard of, but chances are you'll love once you try it. It's one of my favorite wine varietals to talk to people about and have them explore. Being of Sicilian descent, I could be biased, but I love the stuff.
PIETRA NERA NERO D'AVOLA
This is a Luke's exclusive Nero d'Avola! Its vineyards are between 100 to 200 meters above sea level. The wine is a dark, dense ruby color. There's marvelous hints of red fruits and black cherries on the nose, and the palate is very concentrated, powerful, and warm.
This article was written for The GrapeBunch Wine Periodical.
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Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
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