Italiano
Eight Nero d’Avola under 10 euros
Here are eight excellent Nero d’Avola wines that will grace your table without breaking your budget.
Twenty or so years ago, if you didn’t drink Nero d’Avola then you weren’t “in”. As often occurs, the success of this Sicilian wine led to speculation and supermarkets were flooded with Nero d’Avola of dubious quality at ridiculously low prices and people fell out of love with the wine and looked for something else.
Years of serious, concerted efforts by a host of producers, the creation of a DOC Sicilia classification and coordination by the wine producers’ association led us to where we are today. There is now perhaps less “blind love” on the part of consumers but a greater awareness that goes beyond following a fad. This awareness, knowledge, is essential to understand that this varietal, when used in quality production, can offer different results. These are always very interesting whether they produce quality wine, those with a propensity to age (of which there are many known and established examples), or wines to drink every day, fresh and easy to drink without being mediocre.
We looked at this second category in selecting the wines here below, all of which can be found at under 10 euros a bottle retail.
Sicilia Nero d'Avola Disueri 2017 Cusumano
91/100 - € 10
Nero d’Avola grapes from the Tenuta di San Giorgio estate in Butera, in the province of Agrigento. Made in stainless steel, the wine has an intense ruby color with purple reflections and an intense and complex aroma with notes of wild berries, also jam, grassy scents, Mediterranean shrubs and olives. The dynamic mouthfeel is extremely flavorful with a nice acidity and good body.
Terre Siciliane Nero d’Avola 2017 Cantine Colosi
91/100 - € 9
Made from Nero d’Avola grown in leased vineyards in central Sicily. Fermented and matured on the lees or five months in stainless steel. A luminous ruby color and a fragrant and extremely clear aroma typical of the varietal with notes of capers, blood orange and raspberry. The wine is extremely drinkable, taut, fresh and pleasing with a discreet and composed body and nice, persistent aftertaste. Delectable.
Sicilia Nero d’Avola 2016 Morgante
90/100 - € 8
Nero d’Avola grapes cultivated in Contrada Racalmare a Grotte, in the Agrigento Hills in southern Sicily. Matured in barriques, this has a lively and intense ruby color and an ethereal bouquet with classic notes of capers followed by those of sour cherry jam and some hints of spice. The mouthfeel is warm, full and wrapping with light and slightly youthful tannins.
Sicilia Nero d'Avola Coste a Preola 2017 Gorghi Tondi
89/100 - € 9
Nero d’Avola grapes grown in vineyards bordering with the WWF nature Reserve of Lago Preola and Gorghi Tondi, in the Agro di Mazara farmland in southwestern Sicily. A ruby color with bright purple reflections and an intense aroma with a typical hint of anchovy, a nice note of black cherry and wild berries and a hint of spice. The mouthfeel is fresh and crispy, juicy and flavorful.
Sicilia Nero d'Avola Centuno 2015 CVA Canicattì
88/100 - € 10
Made from Nero d’Avola grapes from the Agrigento hinterland and matured in barriques for 12 months. A ruby-red color with purple reflections and intense aromas of ripe fruit, also in jam form, with hints of cinnamon and cocoa. The mouthfeel is fresh and wrapping, rich and soft with a pleasing finish and medium persistence.
Eloro 2015 Curto
88/100 - € 8
Nero d’Avola grapes from vineyards in southeast Sicily, the area of Ispica on the border between the provinces of Ragusa and Siracusa and the Pachino farmland. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. The color is an intense ruby and the assorted aroma has notes of red fruit, prune, scents of carob and a light scent of chocolate. The mouthfeel is acidic and structured with a light salinity and nice persistence.
Sicilia Nero d'Avola Mandrarossa Costadune 2017 Settesoli
87/100 - € 7
The Nero d’Avola grapes are grown in the Menfi farm zone, in southwestern Sicily, and the wine is made in stainless steel. The ruby-red color has some purple reflections and the bouquet has pleasing scents of red fruit, ripe cherry and a hint of geranium. The mouthfeel has a medium structure and is rounded and soft.
Sicilia Nero d'Avola 2016 Feudo Principi di Butera
87/100 - € 10
Nero d’Avola grapes grown in Butera, central-southern Sicily. Matured in large barrels for 12 months, this has a ruby color with a purple edge. The soft aroma has notes of red berries and scents of raspberry and chocolate, while the fresh and lithe body has a medium texture, a return of the fruit flavors and a medium persistence.
