Nero d'Avola wines
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Until the coronavirus disrupted my customary frequent social dining, either at my residence or out with friends, I was unable to do a detailed comparison of different wineries' bottling of the same grape variety. We are told to make the best of a bad situation. Accordingly, I obtained 8 different Nero d'Avola wines to sample. This article shares what I found.
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To begin with, the grape is Sicilian, a red wine, not well known in the USA. As befits my frugal preference, I bought only bottles that I could get for $20 or less, in Seattle, in March. Half tasted were liked enough that I would buy them again; the other half displeased me. In general, the wines liked were darker, older, and a bit higher in alcohol by volume. Three of the four liked had corks; all four that were disliked had metal screw caps. The average price of those liked was $10.25; of those disliked $11.50.
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Taste in food and drink being subjective, another person may very well prefer the wines that I disliked. The eight wines exhibited such a wide range of characteristics, that it is difficult to believe they all are from only one grape variety. Another name for the grape is Calabrese. Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible (2015) states: "DNA analysis suggests there are several clones of nero d'Avola, and possibly several different varieties that fall under the name."
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Below I rank the eight in my preference, from my favorite to least liked.
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| Feudo Principi di Butera 2014 |
| 14% abv |
Dark color. Intense aroma and flavor.
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| Prodigo 2018 |
| 13.5% abv |
Medium color. Yummy.
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| Villa Pozzi 2015 |
| 14% abv |
Dark color. Agreeable.
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| L'auratae Vero Sicilia 2018 |
| 14% abv |
Organic. Medium dark color. Very astringent. Harsh at first. Acceptable but not worth buying again.
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| Casale Burgio 2018 |
| 13% abv |
Unremarkable.
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| Caleo 2018 |
| 13% abv |
Astringent. Neither rich nor deep enough to please me.
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| Terramore 2018 |
| 13% abv |
Organic. Pale color. Utterly ordinary red wine.
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Nero d'Avola wines I liked ; photo by ALJ
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Nero d'Avola wines I disliked ; photo by ALJ
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