Wine Review: Villa Pozzi, Nero D’Avola, Sicilia D.O.C.2019 $10 90pts+

$10 Siciliano Red Wine that brings a Spicy Warmth and Meditereanean Cheer to the Winter Season Everywhere Else!

Cheapdatewine.com Robert FitzMaurice O’Maoilriain CS, CM Certified Sommelier and Chef at Large Living Large on a Light Budget

Wine Review: Villa Pozzi, Nero D’Avola, Sicilia D.O.C. 2019 $10 90pts+ QTPR (Quality to Price Ratio)

Overview: Cheerful and articulate, with a balance between lively brightness and medium bodied red fruit. Just enough acidity to make it fresh and lively, very low tannin dryness and a touch of delicate, candied fruitiness. If you love fruity Merlots and juicier, easy-to-drink Pinot Noirs you are in for a treat at a very budget friendly price.

Comparable to: $18-$22 California or Chilean Merlot. $20 to $40 Italian Tuscan Reds like Rosso de Montelcino and Rosso di Montepulciano and “Super Tuscans. $20 to $30 Right bank Bordeaux based on Merlot or Cab. Franc.

Mass Appeal: Who will love this wine: A huge crowd pleaser and perfect holiday party wine for the difficult masses of preferences. 99% of Merlot Drinkers | 75% of Cab. and Pinot Noir Drinkers (when price is considered) | 75% of Chianti and Spanish Wine Drinkers | 75% of White Wine Drinkers

When to drink: Amazing as a reception or banquet wine for a picky audience when you can only offer one red. Pair with all traditional holiday meals. Great by itself in front of a fire or on a patio at noon in the winter.

Winery Story: The Winery was started almost 200 years ago started by a successful Northern Italian Trader who traveled and sold wine all over Italy by horse drawn carriage.

Regional Story: Greek Myth says that in the earliest era of antiquity Dionysus brought grapes vines to Sicily and that the entire fiery, volcanic island was covered in vines long before the Greeks first arrived. Botanists say that vines grew in ancient Sicily long before man appeared on the earth. Winemaking began in Sicily over 3,500 years ago led by Middleastern Phoenicians who predated the Greeks ownership of Sicily. Later Julius Caesar and his court including Pliny loved Sicilian Wines in Rome. Under islamic and then Viking control vines dwindled only to be reborn by the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon who later came to rule the Island. Sicily was at the center of the trade routes of the Classical World and has hosted almost all western cultures. Over 100 unique, unusual, indigenious grapes still exist there waiting to be discovered by the modern world.

Grape(s): Nero is the most commonly grown indigenious grape in Sicily and was imported by the Greeks like many of the grape types in Sicily. Nero d’Avola means “the black grape of the borough of Avola.” The grape is compared to warmer climate Syrah and Shiraz-style Syrah with sweet tannins and plum and peppery notes

Flavors: rum soaked cranberry raisins | red plums | beets | vanilla powder | graham cracker | fine vietnamese black pepper | candied hibiscus flowers | strawberry preserves | rhubarb pie | violets | cinnamon | clove | coriander | burnt orange peel | wet redwood plank | red currant hard candy | Chai spices | clean concrete slab | red rose petals

Body 3 / 5
Acid: 2 / 5
Tannin: 1 / 5
Fruit: 3 / 5
Dried Herb/Spice 4 / 5
Stone/Mineral: 2 / 5
Vanilla/Oak: 3 / 5
Earth/Yeast: 2 / 5
Sugar: 0 / 5

Cheese Pairings: Peppered Chevre | White Cheddar | Fontina | Blue Cheese | Camembert
Food Pairings: Chicken | Boiled Crab | Pork Ribs | Beet Salads