italian island wines
The Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily have long, indivual winemaking traditions with many local varieties as well as others found across the Mediterranean. blackpoolmatt's wine club has three new wines from the two islands which demonstrate the range of styles made there.
Cagnulari
When tasting Italian wine, there's always something unexpected. I had never heard of the grape variety, Cagnulari, before, but it turns out it's a clone of the Rioja grape, Graciano. Even though Sardinia is now a part of Italy, it's a Mediterranean island with Spanish and Catalan influence as seen in some of the varieties planted there. Giovanno Cherchi was the first winemaker to make a single-varietal Cagnulari in 1970, and the wine has become a speciality of the producer. The "Billia" Cagnulari is light and pale, with pretty aromas of red fruits and red flowers, juicy on the palate, with a spicy finish. A perfect food wine which can be served very lightly chilled.
Cannonau
Cherchi also make wine from Cannonau, which is Garnacha in Spain and Grenache in France—another example of Spain's influence on Sardinia's wine history. Cherchi's Cannonau is lighter than many other wines from the island, pale in appearance. But it's also typical of Grenache, with red fruit and herbal aromas, crunchy on the palate, with a spicy, licorice finish. Cannonau used to be often made in straightforward, fruity styles; it's great that producers are taking the variety more seriously to make more sophisticated wines.
Nero d'Avola
Moving to Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, and another Italian island which has seen quality rise. Nero d'Avola is the most popular and most known black grape variety. Its name simply means black grape from Avola, a town on the island. It can produce overly ripe, overly jammy wines, but in the right hands the wines are still fruity and plush but elegant. Sallier de la Tour is a project started in 2008; based near the major city of Palermo near the coast, the ambition was to reflect the local terrain and traditions of the area. This is the ultimate pizza wine—there's no greater compliment!