Red grapes

Nero d’Avola

Nero D’Avola, also called Calabrian or Calabrian D’Avola, is the most important red wine grape on Sicily. The name would seem to come from an erroneous translation of the Sicilian dialect word, “Calaurisi”, deriving from two words: “Calea”, meaning “grapes”, and “auilisi”, meaning “of Avola”, a village in the province of Syracuse (Sicily).

Much sought after since the 1800s, the red wine diffused from Nero D’Avola grapes was prized by the French merchants of the time, who used it mainly as a cutting wine, to give colour and body to their own wines. Now exported worldwide, Nero D’Avola is a grape that generates great structure and complexity; its intense ruby-red hosts a bright, lively wine, with violet reflections, if young, and garnets after aging.

The wines produced by Nero D’Avola grapes have complex bouquets: dried plum, cherry, blackberry, currant, chocolate, leather and tobacco, clove and licorice.

Syrah

Syrah Syrah – or Shiraz – is a vine with disputed origins, some believing that its source is the Iranian city of Shiraz, while others claim that its historical roots are linked to the territory of Syracuse (Sicily). Legend has it that it was the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Probo, who imported the vine from Egypt, in order to cultivate it in Gaul.

His legions passed through the Sicilian city, where Syrah was to put down solid roots – to the point of giving its name to the entire territory which, thenceforth, was called Syrah, Shiraz or Syrach. However, the form of the toponym, Syros (either ΣYRA or ΣΥΡΑ), denoting the name of the city, has been attested to since pre-Roman Ancient Greece, thus suggesting older origins than those claimed by the Emperor Aurelius story, which itself seems to have been a later invention, perhaps intended to authenticate and romanticise the link between high quality grapes and Syracuse.

The Syrah grape variety is one of the so-called “international” grape varieties, and is now cultivated all over the world, giving rise to wines with a clear structure, ruby red tone, strong scents and fruity matrices, with hints of chocolate, small black fruits and spices – amongst which the most pronounced is black pepper.

Nerello Mascalese

Nerello Mascalese is native to the county of Mascali. Its range stretches over more than 65% of Mount Etna’s volcanic slopes. This vine is cultivated from sapling, and its pale red, late-maturing grape has a distinctive, oblong shape.

It is generally harvested between the second and third weeks of October. Wine from Nerello Mascalese boasts a ruby red exhaust, tending to garnet; it is an elegant and long-lived wine, with a good alcoholic content. The aromas are delicate, with a prevalence of red berry hints and subtle spices.

The overall effect is supported by a lively acidity, refined tannins and strong mineral notes. Nerello Mascalese also varies, according to the area of cultivation, having remarkable sensitivity to both the vintage and soil type.