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