Sicilian Red Wine
Sicilian Red Wine – The Italian island of Sicily seems to have it all when it comes to wine: fun and fruity Frappato, serious, volcanic-influenced Nerellos from the slopes of Mount Etna, iconic dessert wines, and just about everything in between.
With the recent, island-wide push for quality all across the price spectrum, there has never been a better time to explore these wines.
For lovers of volcanic-influenced wines, Sicily’s Mount Etna is a cherished place.
Home to the Burgundy-esque varieties of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, these are gorgeous, terroir-driven wines.
The two grapes offer layers of spice and high acidity, partly due to being grown on the highest vineyards in all of Europe.
One of the finest producers on this volcano is Terre Nere, a domain that offers multiple single-vineyard wines.
He founded Tenuta delle Terre Nere over twenty years ago after falling in love with the unique terroir created (and continually recreated) by the still-active volcano.
Calabretta is also one of our favorites, if tragically overlooked.
Their commitment to chemical free farming, stewarding old vines, and meticulous winemaking is evident in every bottle of wine they craft from grapes grown along the slopes of Mount Etna.
The wines have a rustic and savory feel that evokes a perfectly-cellared Pinot Noir.
The high elevation, intense sunshine and marginal soils create incredible wines filled to the brim with flavor.
Sicilian Red Wine – 2018 Benanti Serra della Contessa ‘Particella No. 587’ Etna Rosso Riserva
Sicily Italy
Points 93
Price $140
Dark and dusty, the 2018 Etna Rosso Riserva Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 wafts up with unexpected richness as plum sauce and cinnamon spice combine with rubbed sage and hints of white smoke.
This sweeps across the palate, soft, elegant and medium in body.
A saturation of red and blue fruits drenches the palate in primary concentration while edgy tannins tug at the cheeks.
The 2018 finishes staining and tense with notes of licorice that linger on, tapering away quicker than expected.
2021 Girolamo Russo ‘San Lorenzo’ Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Points 95
Price $75
The Girolamo Russo 2021 Etna Rosso San Lorenzo is a very exciting wine with so much energy and verve.
It opens to lean-bodied concentration with a brilliant ruby shine.
The wine shows a long array of wild fruit and tiny berry aromas backed by crushed white pepper and crushed stone.
San Lorenzo is one of the most impressive interpretations of Etna.
Sicilian Red Wine – 2020 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottana Rosso Etna Sicily Italy
Points 93
Price $70
The Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2020 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana has a savory, almost autumnal personality with tobacco, wet moss, spice and dark fruit.
It stands apart from the other wines in the portfolio thanks to those darker fruit qualities. Marc De Grazia uses the unusual word “feline” to describe a mouthfeel that is long and sleek.
Notice the dry, silky nature of the elegant tannins.
2020 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Prephylloxera ‘La Vigna di Don Peppino’ Calderara Sottana Rosso Etna Sicily Italy
Points 94
Price $150
Darkly alluring and youthfully backward, the 2022 Etna Rosso Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana smolders up with a blend of sweet spices, dusty violets and ash, giving way to dried black cherries, sage and cloves.
This is velvety yet finessed, with a polished wave of ripe red and blue fruit that flows across a juicy stream of acidity.
Hints of sour citrus add contrast toward the close. It finishes remarkably fresh and energetic, still tannic but lively, as crunchy tannins resonate and an air of lavender slowly fades.
This is an elegant and genuinely harmonious edition of this cuvée. Simply stunning
Sicilian Red Wine – 2019 Cantine Argiolas Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi Rosso IGT Sardinia Italy
Points 92
Price $95
Turriga is a powerful red wine that requires time in bottle to show its full complexity.
Upon release, Turriga is densely packed with powerful tannins and tightly wound fruit, thus decanting is recommended.
With time in bottle, Turriga reveals multiple layers of Mediterranean herbs, roasted coffee, spices, and licorice with a generous core of black and red fruit.
Cannonau (Grenache) is known for giving full-flavored and full-bodied red wines and requires big flavors at the table.
Grilled or stewed game, beef, or lamb are obvious pairings for this wine as are earthy vegetables such as roasted wild mushrooms. Turriga can also accompany cured meats or aged Pecorino cheese.
The powerful red is a blend of native varieties, with 85 percent Cannonau and 5 percent each of Carignano, Bovale Sardo, and Malvasia Nera.
2016 Benanti Serra della Contessa ‘Particella No. 587’ Etna Rosso Riserva
Points 94
Price $250
The 2016 Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 Riserva is dark and savory in the glass, grumbling up with notes of crushed rocks and ash that evolve further to reveal musky black currants, hints of licorice and dried violets.
This is velvety-smooth, yet not weighty in feel. Instead, the 2016 seems to glide effortlessly across the palate, yet what it leaves behind is a saturation of primary fruit and mineral tones, as well as silky tannins that penetrate deeply.
The Serra della Contessa finishes structured yet long and unexpectedly fresh, with balsam herbs and a touch of salted licorice that slowly fades.
This Etna Rosso is a powerhouse, but it is in need of cellaring to reveal all of its charms.”
Sicilian Red Wine – 2018 Terra Costantino ‘Contrada Blandano’ Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Points 92
Price $40
Broad and refined aromatic framework drawn by scents of sanguinella orange, currants, chinotto, fine spices, lily of the valley, carob, mentholated flashes, burnt ash and lava stone.
Smoky aromas waft off the nose before notes of very fresh, slightly green, tiny wild strawberries and a hint of umami saltiness.
Salty smokiness carries over to the palate of this wine, where more ripe but crisp wild berry flavors come through, outlined by chalky but pliable tannins.
2021 Benanti ‘Contrada Monte Serra’ Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Points 92
Price $55
The Contrada Monte Serra in the South-Eastern slope is uniquely perched 450 meters above sea level, is cradled in sandy, mineral-rich soil dotted with ancient pumice stones where century-old Nerello Mascalese is able to develop a singular expression and concentration.
Crafted with reverence, this Etna Rosso matures in French oak and stainless steel, harmonizing its volcanic vigor with graceful complexity.
Sicilian Red Wine – 2020 Tenuta delle Terre Nere ‘San Lorenzo’ Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Points 94
Price $80
Remarkably pretty, the 2022 Etna Rosso San Lorenzo wafts up with an array of dried flowers, cloves and lavender.
Lifted and finessed, this opens with a hint of candied orange that enlivens its core of tart wild berries. Brisk acidity keeps the experience fresh throughout.
Staining the palate in concentration, the San Lorenzo tapers off gently tannic and crunchy in feel, leaving gorgeous floral perfumes to linger on.
This is the understated darling of the Terre Nere portfolio, and I expect that cellaring will bring even more complexity.
Italian Wines to Drink While in Italy >>
