60% Syrah and 40% Nero d'Avola from Sicily, Italy.
SRP of around $12 and available for as low as $8.
From the bottle:
"This charming blend hails from the clayey and volcanic terrain in southwestern Sicily, 660-1,315 feet above sea level. 30% of the wine has sojourned in French barriques for 4 months. Intense ruby in color, it shows a fruit-driven, delicately spicy bouquet of plums, cherries and blackberries. On the palate this lush fruit and forward charm go with just about any food, from flavorful first courses, pastas and risotta, to meat and cheese.
14.0% Alcohol"
Typically when I drink the wines I review I will write down a few other things to write about besides the actual tasting note. For today's wine I simply penned, "Wax poetic about pizza and wine." So I ask, is there a better combination for The Reverse Wine Snob then a delicious pizza combined with a great (and cheap) pizza wine?
For my money I'm not sure there is. As much as winemakers think we should pair their wines with grilled peaches and exotic things wrapped in prosciutto and covered in goat cheese, most of us just want a wine that will pair well with everyday fare. And what could be more everyday than pizza? And so today I give you a great pizza wine!
The 2007 Lagaria Syrah-Nero d'Avola Sicilia IGT begins with a very fruity and delicious aroma of ripe dark fruit (plum and blackberry) plus a little bit of a very nice herbal component. Tasting the wine reveals it to be fairly fruit forward and jammy with blackberry, nice spice and licorice followed by lots of soft but grippy tannins. Really quite nice. It turns a little tart on the dry finish. The best part is that at only $8 you can grab a couple friends and a large pizza and have a great combo for under $25!
See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
Overall Rating: 7.5
