| Once again, we are breaking into the series | | | | of the grapes in this bottle came from vines |
| tasting wines from each of Italy's twenty | | | | over forty years old. The plants are grown as |
| wine regions. This article examines a noble | | | | shrubs, a somewhat unusual practice. This |
| red wine from the island of Sicily in | | | | wine was aged for twelve months in French oak |
| southern Italy. It is very far from a bargain | | | | barrels, about 60% of which are new. It can |
| wine. We were about a dozen to taste it. I'll | | | | be cellared for years. I only wish that I |
| be presenting my opinions and those of | | | | could taste a ten or twenty year old Rosso |
| others. | | | | del Conte. |
| | | | |
| So far, the wines that I purchased for this | | | | I'll spare you the marketing materials and |
| series have cost a maximum of about $20. I | | | | reviews that tend to be very laudatory. Here |
| thought that I should try one at about double | | | | are the comments from my tasting group. |
| the price. I felt that by going to a | | | | |
| relatively unknown region such as Sicily I | | | | A bit of black fruit. Highly oaked. Toasted |
| might get a bargain. A lot of wines from the | | | | grains, toast, grilled barley. Nervous and |
| Tuscany or Piedmont regions of Italy cost $40 | | | | wild. Garriga (a mixture of spices found in |
| or much, much more. Such is not the case for | | | | areas near the Mediterranean Sea). Leather, |
| Sicily. | | | | dried meat, musk, and underbrush. A strong |
| | | | presence. Acidic and tannic, but not very |
| Italy's top of the line wine designation is | | | | long. Moderately long, fairly tannic. Round. |
| DOCG, which stands for Denominazione di | | | | More fruit than oak. |
| Origine Controllata Garantita (Denomination | | | | |
| of Controlled, Guaranteed Origin.) There are | | | | When asked to guess the price, the general |
| no DOCG wines in Sicily. But the formal | | | | consensus was considerably lower than what I |
| designation is not very important, many Super | | | | actually paid. It's fair to assume that most |
| Tuscans costing at least twice my budget | | | | of these people would not purchase this wine, |
| carry "inferior" designations. The wine I | | | | even if they do buy wines in this price |
| chose carries the Contea di Sclafania DOC | | | | range. On the other hand, it's not hard to |
| designation, having been promoted from the | | | | find reviews on the Internet that draw the |
| Sicilia IGT designation. The wine reviewed | | | | opposite conclusion. In fact, every review |
| here is produced by the same company as the | | | | that I read was more laudatory than my |
| white Sicilian wine reviewed in my article I | | | | tasting group was. And my thoughts? |
| Love Italian Wine and Food - The Sicily | | | | |
| Region. This was no accident. First I bought | | | | Personally, I would rather drink wine with |
| the relatively expensive red. Then I bought | | | | food than without food. There were only a few |
| the white wine for about one third the price. | | | | sips left in the bottle but I was able to |
| This white wine carries the Sicilia IGT | | | | squeeze out two pairings. First I tried |
| designation, but I found it to be pretty | | | | slow-cooked beef ribs with potatoes and a |
| good. Let's take a look at its much more | | | | side of green beans in tomato sauce. This |
| expensive red cousin. | | | | wine was the essence of mouth-filling, a tiny |
| | | | sip enveloped my mouth with pleasure. The |
| Wine Reviewed | | | | wine's acidity and tannins handled the meat's |
| | | | fat. If only I had more. |
| Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali 'Rosso del Conte' | | | | |
| Contea di Sclafania DOC 2002 15% alcohol | | | | Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from |
| about $38 | | | | sheep's milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, |
| | | | strong smelling and strong tasting, |
| About 35 years ago, Count Tasca d'Almerita | | | | especially when you crunched into a |
| decided to make a flagship Sicilian red wine | | | | peppercorn. The Rosso del Conte's richness |
| from two local grapes, Nero d'avola and | | | | and complexity was quite noticeable in the |
| Perricone. Nero d'avola is a thin-skinned | | | | presence of this cheese. I am glad that I |
| grape that ripens extremely late, perhaps | | | | didn't waste the last precious sips of this |
| three weeks after Cabernet Sauvignon. | | | | wine on a weak cheese. |
| Consequently this variety is virtually | | | | |
| limited to Sicily. Some think that it is a | | | | Final verdict. It'll probably be quite some |
| relative of Syrah. Nero d'avola wines are | | | | time before I buy another bottle of Rosso del |
| usually dark and tarry, with lots of black | | | | Conte. I do think that it's worth the price, |
| fruit aroma and taste. They are rich and well | | | | but I can't say that I got a $100 wine for |
| structured, with firm and silky tannins. Many | | | | less than $40. Have you ever done so? |