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