Another Sicilian Nero d'Avola

If you like hearty reds...

Colosi Nero d'Avola

Sicily is one of the highest volume Italian wine producers and Nero d’Avola is the major Sicilian red grape. So how come I haven’t ever reviewed a wine made from such a grape? Colosi is a third-generation wine cellar in the port city of Messina. They have no website but have 6 hectares (15 acres) of vines that produce about 220 thousand bottles a year, 80% red, 10% white, and I guess 10% sweet. This wine carries the not particularly prestigious Nero D’Avola Sicilia IGT appellation. Are we surprised in this price range? Actually I had to pay almost $15 but you should get it for less. The companion wine is a cheaper Sicilian Nero d’Avola with a different and sometimes better appellation.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Colosi Nero d’Avola, 2009 14 % alcohol about $12.

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. “Tasting Note : The 2009 Nero d'Avola emerges from the glass with layers of vibrant, perfumed red fruit. This silky, graceful red offers tons of varietal character and wonderful balance in an up-front, juicy style I find particularly appealing. The Nero d'Avola is aged exclusively in steel, which helps preserve quite a bit of freshness. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2013. Score - 89. (Antonio Galloni, at the Robert Parker website, June 2010) And now for my review.

At the first sips this wine was round, dark, and somewhat sweet. I started with Japanese rice crackers that increased its acidity. The initial meal was a boxed vegetarian lasagna with Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese that I doused with grated Parmesan cheese. In response Nero offered dark plums and very light tannins. Its acidity was slightly harsh.

The following meal featured a barbecued chicken leg. Now the drink was chewy and dark. Its tannins were round. When paired with the side dish of potatoes roasted in chicken fat, this Sicilian was sweet and almost tasted burnt. It was long. In the face of zesty guacamole the libation picked up a bit of pepper. The fruit juice candy dessert imparted a tinge of acidity to this wine, which stayed long.

My final meal centered on slow cooked shoulder steak. Now the drink was quite long and its predominant taste was dark chocolate. When paired with the accompanying potatoes cooked with the meat, the wine thinned out. The drink lost some edge when I doused the meat with a generous helping of Louisiana hot sauce. A Turkish salad consisting of tomato, tomato paste, onion, sweet red pepper, garlic, sugar, and other spices made the wine blossom, at first I tasted apples.

Final verdict. I don’t think that I will bother with this wine again. It came close but didn’t quite make it, perhaps because I can be such a fan of Italian wine. I don’t think I set the bar too high; I think this Nero jumped too low.

Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A Sicilian Nero d'Avola

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com    and    http://www.wineinyourdiet.com

Visit his website devoted to Italian travel www.travelitalytravel.com

Feel free to reprint this entire article which must include the resource box