The Celebrated Red Grape That Makes Sicilian Wine So Flavorful

Sicily's wines, once mainly used for blending, have come into their own, and it's about time. Nero d'Avola, Sicily's famed red wine grape, is at last being celebrated for its bold, fruit-forward flavor, which pairs so wonderfully with Sicilian cuisine. Winemaking on one of Europe's largest islands dates back millennia — to around 4,000 B.C., in fact. In a 2017 study published in the Microchemical Journal, researchers led by the University of South Florida's Davide Tanasi tested residues from pottery found in a cave at Monte Kronio in western Sicily. 

They discovered that one of the residues came from wine, not food as expected, upending what we know about the history of wine production in Europe. This cave discovery turned out to be the oldest known evidence of winemaking in Europe. The Phoenicians and Greeks brought their winemaking skills with them when they settled in Sicily in the eighth century B.C. The Greeks introduced the espalier vine training system to Sicily, and it's still in use today. According to Nerodavola.com, ancient Greeks also brought Nero d'Avola grapes to the island. 

This varietal may have come to Sicily via Calabria, the southern Italian region that includes the city of Reggio Calabria. The official name of the Nero d'Avola grape is Calabrese, after all, and the ancient Greeks colonized this area around 800 B.C. — roughly the same time as their colonization of Sicily and Naples. By the mid-15th century, Sicilians were cultivating the Nero d'Avola grape near the town of Avola, from which the grape takes its name ("Nero d'Avola" means "Black of Avola" in Italian). 

Wine grapes grow well in Sicily, thanks to its relatively mild winters, hot, dry summers, and wide range of elevations, so it's no surprise that cultivation of Nero d'Avola spread from Avola itself to surrounding areas as winemakers' focuses shifted from creating blending wines to higher-quality varietals. Today, Sicilian winemakers turn to Nero d'Avola grapes to produce full-bodied, robust wines that can be bottled young or stand up to oak barrel aging. In 2006, wine critic James Suckling predicted in Wine Spectator that Nero d'Avola would catapult Sicilian winemakers into the "world-class reds" echelon.

Modern Sicilian winemakers from wineries such as Donnafugata, Feudo Montoni, Planeta, Cortese, and COS are winning awards and accolades for their Nero d'Avola wines. Nero d'Avola grapes are essential to Sicily's only Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine, Cerasuolo di Vittoria. This wine is made from Nero d'Avola and Frappato grapes, with 50% to 70% Nero d'Avola. Because Frappato grapes, another Sicilian varietal, produce lighter wines, the resulting blend is fruit-forward and fresh. 

In addition, the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG region features a variety of soils, from sandy volcanic soils to limestone and clay. Vittoria wines reflect this complexity. Cerasuolo di Vittoria and other wines made with Nero d'Avola grapes pair well with food. Try a Nero d'Avola or Cerasuolo di Vittoria with Sicilian pasta dishes — which feature some of Italy's best produce and seafood — or with red meats, tomato-based dishes such as lasagna Bolognese, and even dark chocolate.