2013 Bacaro Nero D'Avola Terre Siciliane

Happy Friday!  It's been a long week (despite the holiday) and I really need to relax.  And what better way to relax than to open up a nice bottle of wine to enjoy!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine that I bought at a local restaurant when they were revamping their wine list and selling every bottle in the cellar for just $20 each.  The wine is a favorite varietal from Sicily, the 2013 Bacaro Nero D'Avola!

The wine is an inky black color in the glass, just as you'd expect from the "black grape of Avola." The nose presents aromas of leather, black plum, pepper and anise, classic for this varietal.  The taste is a muscular Italian, with some subtle black fruit notes up front, blackberry, plum and a hint of currant that transition nicely to some mineral notes and black pepper midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit tight on this one, but they make a nice foundation for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a wonderful and easy going example of an underappreciated varietal from an underappreciated region.  This wine is also a terrific food wine, and tonight I'm enjoying this with some hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers along with some linguine with garlic and olive oil.  The acidity of this wine really cuts thought the fat of the sausage for a wonderful balance.  In the words of my favorite TV chef, Lidia Bastianich, "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!"