Nero d’ Avola

Nero d'Avola is a native Sicilian grape that takes its name from the town of Avola, in south east Sicily, and it is a very popular red grape variety, perhaps one of the most commonly found grapes in Sicily, normally flowering early and ripening by mid-September. While initially grown mainly in the south of Sicily, the grape is now planted all over the region, thriving in hot and dry climates, though still able to grow in cooler and damper conditions. The grape is currently being grown in Australia, California, Malta, Turkey and South Africa with mix results.

The Nero d’Avola grape not only is vinified on its own, but it is also often blended with other grapes, Sicilian native and not, often with the Syrah grape that has found in Sicily an ideal home, and produces great wines suitable for wood ageing when keeping a low yield.

Nero d’Avola grapes grown in and around the town of Marsala can and are used in the production of the Marsala Rubino fortified wine.