Nero D’Avola is most well known for its production in Southeastern Sicily but it can be found in many other areas in Sicily as well. There is more recently some Nero being grown in Mendocino County in California and you can find some in Southern Australia. Its styles can vary depending on elevation, vintage, and aging.
What Do Nero d’Avola Wines Taste Like?
Nero D’Avola is a thick-skinned red grape, thriving in hotter and drier climates. For this reason, Sicily is the perfect place for this grape to grow. It’s known for its full body, jammy fruit, and sweet tannins. It is a dry wine with lower acidity.
Oftentimes, it is compared to Shiraz because of its fruity style. The name Nero D’ Avola comes from the town where it was first cultivated, Avola. It translates to “the black grape of Avola” and is Sicily’s most important red grape.
Some producers are making wines in the jammier and riper styles, and others in a leaner style giving it more red fruit characteristics. Grapes grown at higher elevations will produce wines of better balance and higher acidity that are more age-worthy as well.
Of course, one more factor that can add a different character to the wine is its oak treatment. The longer-aged wines with oak are going to produce more of a chocolate and coffee character to the wine with a creamy textural component as well.
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