This week’s Wine Wednesday pick is another winner from Italy. As many of you know, I am partial to Italian wine (and along with Argentina, Australia, Portugal and Spain offer a selection of wines for $10 and under) and lately, the Italian wines that we have been drinking have been the best. Honestly, we try wine from all over the world to pick the best selections to bring to you for Wine Wednesdays. This week, I had high hopes from a Palomino from the South of Spain but it didn’t quite delivery. We are saving it to make linguine and clams next week.
This week’s wine is a Nero D’Avola from Cantina Colosi. Nero D’Avola is an old grape that is native to Sicily and has grown there for years. However, until lately, it was largely used as a blending grape because it can be excessively tannic (offering great backbone in a blend). Lately, the Sicilians have learned to tame the tannins in this grape producing a single varietal wine that is similar to Syrah and Zinfandel. Offered at reasonable prices (I have had Nero D’Avolas that ranged in price from $5 to $50 and all were decent to good), Nero D’Avola has taken the wine world by storm.
Visually, the wine is clear with a medium plus ruby color, turning slightly garnet at the rim. On the nose, the wine medium intensity of youthful aromas of blackberry, black cherry, brambleberries, violet and spearmint. On the palate, the wine was medium plus in acidity, full-bodied with medium plus tannins, medium plus in alcohol and medium plus intensity of black cherry, blueberry, blackberry, violet, spearmint and a hint of chocolate. Medium finish.
The Colosi Cantina is a simple, straight-forward, fruity wine but without being a fruit-bomb. While I can’t confirm, I have read that the wine spent no time in oak but rather a short time in stainless which helps preserve its fruit without increasing the wine’s tannin level or imparting wood aromas. This wine would be a perfect accompaniment to pork or beef and would hold up to barbecued meats.
An added bonus for this wine is the beauty of the bottle (the label is festooned with delicate leaves and a flower). It looks great at party. While I have cautioned against buying bottles based on appearance, I will admit that I have been guilty of this in the past and still occasionally do. However, in this case, I first had the Cantina Colosi a few years ago in one of my many wine classes and it has popped up periodically over the years. But the 2009 is my favorite so far. I bought it figuring the hubby would like it and wasn’t wrong.
