Wine of the Week: A Divine Sicilian
Coming out of last week’s Sicilian Tasting for Premier Crew members at Blacks in Soho, we’d like to talk about a distinctly Sicilian wine with a name inspired by a god – the Ero, a Nero d’Alvo from Tenuta di Fessina.
We were lucky enough to be joined by Valentina Davide from Fessina on Tuesday night. As those of you who were there will attest, Valentina is great fun – knowledgeable, certainly, but above all passionate about Sicilian wines.
At the tasting, the Ero, Fessina's Nero d’Avola really stood out to me, perhaps because of how it contrasted with the other (excellent) wines we sampled.
The Ero is named for Eros, the Greek god of love, and appropriately, this wine is a labour of love. The vast majority of Fessina’s vineyards are close to Mount Etna in Rovittello, but the Ero is produced further south in Val di Noto – near Avolo, from where the grape takes its name. Tenuta di Fessina produces the Ero simply because they fell in love with the Val di Noto vineyard.
In addition to being different from the other Fessina wines, this Ero also stands out amongst other Nero d'Avolas. There’s great varietal character, certainly, but also surprising complexity and elegance. Valentina describes it as "joyful", and it's apt - exactly the kind of wine you'd savour with friends over a stretched out Sunday lunch of lamb or pork.
Further Fessina Wines
That said, if the warm weather means you've abandoned the oven for the interim and are more likely to be found at the fish monger than butcher, then the Fessina whites are also well worth a look. Both wines will work now with grilled seafood, and with some bottle age, the Il Muscemi will also match poached chicken.
Our fourth Fessina wine is another red - the Erse Etna Rosso - grown, as its name implies, on the North-side of Sicily's famous volcano. Built around the super-cool Nerello Mascalese grape, this wine can't help but excite lovers of cool climate, high altitude varieties.
Published on: April 21, 2015
