Nero d'Avola

Nero d'Avola and Frappato are traditionally grown in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria area, and both varieties are cited and described by P. Balsamo (1808) and D. Sestini (1812) in their descriptions of the wines and vineyards of the Vittoria area. Sicily was a key supplier to northern blenders, and the island's chief viticultural research station, just outside Palermo, is working to harness the potential of local varieties including Nero d'Avola. Tasca d'Almerita's Rosso del Conte, made from Perricone and Nero d'Avola, provided the first signs of Sicily's modern revival as a producer of table wines, and the Planeta family firm has since concentrated most on Sicilian, or at least Italian, grapes such as Nero d'Avola and Fiano from Campania.

• Nero d'Avola and Frappato are cited and described by P. Balsamo (1808) and D. Sestini (1812) for the Vittoria area
• Sicily was a key supplier to northern blenders
• Tasca d'Almerita's Rosso del Conte (Perricone and Nero d'Avola) provided the first signs of Sicily's modern table-wine revival

In the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC, variety number 1986), the prime name of this variety is CALABRESE and its country of origin is Italy. Its berry skin colour is recorded as noir. No parents are recorded for the variety: both parent fields in its VIVC passport are empty and its full-pedigree field reads NO, so the parentage of Nero d'Avola is unknown.

• Parents: unknown; no known parents recorded (full pedigree: NO)
• Country of origin of the variety: Italy
• VIVC prime name CALABRESE, variety number 1986; berry skin colour noir

Nero d'Avola is the most cultivated red grape in Sicily and a symbol of the region's viticulture. Deep-coloured, crisp and cherry-bright, it is increasingly recognised as western Sicily's trump card, and the Elorina co-op specializes in Pachino, historically the finest Nero d'Avola. Vineyards at an altitude of more than 500 m (1600 ft) are generally the key to producing high-quality table wines on the island. In the southeast, Nero d'Avola is one of the two varieties of Cerasuolo di Vittoria, which is obtained in a large area between the provinces of Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania, with Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico reserved for vineyards in the historical triangle formed by Vittoria, Acate and Chiaramonte Gulfi. In the Vittoria district the sea is very close and the Hyblaean mountains inland offer protection from humid winds, and this dry climate guarantees optimal ripening of the bunches. Frappato is more resilient than other Sicilian varieties such as Nero d'Avola, but drought is an increasingly common occurrence and producers may need to support their vines with irrigation.

• The most cultivated red grape in Sicily
• Pachino: historically the finest Nero d'Avola
• Cerasuolo di Vittoria: obtained in a large area between the provinces of Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania; Classico from the Vittoria, Acate and Chiaramonte Gulfi triangle
• Frappato is more resilient than Nero d'Avola, with drought increasingly common

Nero d'Avola is very fruity, though barrel maturation can work well, and it is deep-coloured, crisp and cherry-bright. The vine gives deep, dark and characterful wines. It blends well with other local red grapes such as Nerello and Frappato, as well as with international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. In a tasting note on the COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2016, a red blend of 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato, one critic wrote that the Nero d'Avola component provides "beautifully bitter black fruit".

• Very fruity; barrel maturation can work well
• Deep-coloured, crisp and cherry-bright
• Deep, dark and characterful wines
• Blends well with Nerello, Frappato, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah

Barrel maturation can work well with Nero d'Avola, and Sicily has seen considerable progress with cooler and more sophisticated fermentations and with the use of small oak barrels. Cerasuolo di Vittoria has minimum maturation times of nine months, or 18 months for the Classico, with ageing usually in wood, though steel or amphorae are also used by some winemakers. The Vittoria countryside has traditional viti ad alberello (head-trained bush vines).

• Considerable progress in Sicily with cooler and more sophisticated fermentations and the use of small oak barrels
• Cerasuolo di Vittoria: minimum maturation of nine months, 18 months for Classico
• Cerasuolo di Vittoria ageing is usually in wood; some winemakers use steel or amphorae
• Traditional viti ad alberello (head-trained bush vines) in the Vittoria countryside

COS, an acronym of its founders Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano, makes a Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico that is a red blend of 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato, from grapes organically grown since the first vintage, with fermentation allowed to start by ambient yeast. Tasca d'Almerita makes Rosso del Conte, a red made from Perricone and Nero d'Avola, Planeta has concentrated most on Sicilian, or at least Italian, grapes such as Nero d'Avola, and Donnafugata and Duca di Salaparuta are among Sicily's particularly quality-conscious producers of unfortified wines from both local and imported grape varieties. Tenute Navarra's Maribu, an unoaked Cerasuolo di Vittoria, gives Frappato and Nero d'Avola equal billing.

• COS: Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico, 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato
• Tasca d'Almerita: Rosso del Conte, from Perricone and Nero d'Avola
• Planeta: concentrated most on Sicilian, or at least Italian, grapes such as Nero d'Avola
• Tenute Navarra: Maribu, an unoaked Cerasuolo di Vittoria giving Frappato and Nero d'Avola equal billing

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=1986, https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/d%252Fc%252Fe%252FD.65605fbb70345bcee4a3/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15124/E/pdf?mode=download. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/nero-davola, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/italy/sicily, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/cos-classico-2016-cerasuolo-di-vittoria, https://www.decanter.com/premium/cerasuolo-di-vittoria-50-years-of-sicilys-only-docg-wine-495020/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/experts-choice-frappato-561254/. Last verified 2026-10-04