Nero d’Avola King of Sicily

A Queen and a King in a Castle: the best happy ending of the fairy-tales we read in childhood.
The reality is far from the tales, but surely in our lives we can live moments of fairytale enjoying the beauties that surround us.
So in a spring day I enjoyed a glass of Nero d’Avola, King of the Sicilian wines, walking through the gardens of the magnificient Castle of Zisa in Palermo.
Nero d’Avola is Sicily, I think that there is no Sicilian winery that does not produce at least one of its own interpretation.

It’s an intense and elegant wine, with structure and a powerful character, it enchants for the symphony of red and black fruits, together with spicy notes of chocolate, tobacco and licorice and sometimes pleasant hints of violet.

Because of its unique characteristics I have paired it with the Zisa Castle and its garden, one of the most representative monuments of the Arab-Norman period, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built as a summer residence for the Norman kings. A perfect union between Norman architecture and Arab engineering, that about 850 years ago anticipated, thanks to an innovative natural ventilation system, the most modern bioclimatic solutions.

What makes everything more interesting is the continuous discovery, the Nero d’Avola wine has different expressions depending on the area of Sicily in which it is grown, in every glass you can always discover new nuances of the different terroirs, so also the Castle and its fountains intrigue in a discovery path among artifacts, unique spot and legends

🔊6 facts about Nero d’Avola

  • It comes from Avola in the Province of Syracuse (south eastern Sicily);
  • The original name was “calaulisi” which in Sicilian means “grape of Avola”, also the vine that has always been known as “calabrese”;
  • Covers 12% of the vineyard area in Sicily;
  • It is cultivated mainly with goblet or espalier method;
  • The main DOC produced with nero d’avola are 13 (do not underestimate IGT wines);
  • Composes the magical blend of Cerasuolo di Vittoria together with the frappato, the only DOCG of the island.

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