Page Two of Sharon Kapnick's Beyond Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

The vast improvement in wines worldwide over the past two decades has not bypassed Sicily. While not so long ago it had a well-deserved reputation as a producer of low-quality bulk wines, Sicily has become the frontier for fine Italian wines. In fact, many think the future of Italian wines is here.

Nero d’Avola, grown almost exclusively in Sicily, is the island’s best red grape. In Wines of Italy, Patricia Guy writes, “Giacomo Tachis, Italy’s favorite winemaker and a passionate devotee of all things Sicilian, has described Nero d’Avola at various times as the Baron, the Prince, the King and the Emperor of Sicilian viticulture.” Its name means the “black grape of Avola,” a village in southeastern Sicily. While as recently as the 1980s plantings of it were decreasing — growers thought they would make more money from international grape varieties — today its potential to make excellent wines is being realized.

Nero d’Avola is sometimes described as being a Sicilian version of Syrah, which may have originated in Italy. Some Nero d’Avolas resemble Rhône Syrahs, others resemble Australian Shiraz. Nero d’Avola is often blended with other grapes. On its own, it makes a hearty, moderate-to high-alcohol and- acidity, often ageworthy, full-bodied wine of deep color, good structure and silky low-to-moderate tannins. It tends to be full of fruit aromas and flavors — blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, cranberries, black cherries, plums, currants and raisins among them.

Foods to serve with Nero d’Avola include southern Italian dishes and more: minestrone, grilled salmon or tuna, pizza, veal, roast chicken, duck, roast pork, roast beef, rich meat or pasta dishes including lasagna, pasta Bolognese and other tomato-sauced dishes, spaghetti with pesto, grilled sausage and peppers, and lamb chops.

Recommended Producers:
Ceuso, Cos, Cusumano, Duca di Salaparuta (Corvo), Donnafugata, Feudo Arancio, Feudo d’Elimi, Feudo Principi di Butera, Firriato, Gulfi, Morgante, Planeta, Rapitala, Tasca d’Almerita (Regaleali), Valle dell’Acate

Carmenère is a noble Bordeaux red-wine grape that in 1850 was taken to Chile before it was destroyed in France by the infamous phylloxera blight that ravaged European vineyards in the late 19th century. Today 98% of Carmenère is grown in Chile. The climate suits it perfectly there, where this late-ripening grape benefits from more sun and a longer growing season than Bordeaux afforded it.

Strangely, Carmenère went missing for decades. It was actually thought to be extinct. In Chile it was mistaken for a late-ripening clone of Merlot until 1994, when genetic testing discovered its true identity. Actually, Carmenère is related to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Carmenère combines the heft of Cabernet Sauvignon with the softness of Merlot.

Carmenère is characterized by a deep red-purple color — its name comes from the vivid crimson tone of the wine — rich, full body, silky texture, softness, smooth tannins and aromas, and flavors of spices, coffee, chocolate and especially red and black fruits — notably blackberries, but also plums, black cherries and raspberries. Often used in blends, Carmenère is now being bottled more and more on its own.

Versatility with food is an important attribute of this varietal. All manner of roast fowl — chicken, turkey, duck — are good companions for it, as are roast leg of lamb, beef or pork tenderloin, grilled meats and pot roast. Some like it with barbecued foods, others with grilled tuna or salmon. As with all these wines, I suggest you experiment to see what you prefer it with. (Sometimes the label on the back of the bottle lists food suggestions. And sometimes a good wine merchant will offer pairing recommendations.)

Recommended Producers:
Apaltagua, Arboleda, Caliterra, Casa Silva, Concha y Toro, Errázuriz, Montes, Mont Gras, Odfjell, Santa Carolina, Santa Ema, Santa Rita, Viu Manent

If you’re not familiar with these varietals, next time you’re shopping for wine, why not pick up a bottle or two? You just might make a delightful new discovery.

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New York City author and certified sommelier Sharon Kapnick has written about food and wine for many magazines, including Time, Portfolio, Food & Wine and Hemispheres, and many newspapers, thanks to the New York Times Syndicate. She won an APEX award for excellence for the story “What’s for Breakfast,” published by Hemispheres. Sharon contributed to several entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.