Stemmari d’Avola and Lagnusa d’Avola Wines Literature & Language Essay

Stemmari d’Avola and Lagnusa d’Avola Wines
Name
Institution
Stemmari d’Avola and Lagnusa d’Avola Wines
Nero d’Avola Grape
Nero d’Avola is a red varietal grape indigenous to Italy. It is most commonly grown in Sicily and named after Avola, its historical birthplace in the southeastern part of the island, and when translated means “Black of Avola” (Richard, 2014). Nero D’Avola accounts for the majority of red wines produced in Sicily, and it is the main component in most of the red wines from the island.
The hot, dry climate of Sicily ideally suits the thick-skinned, late-ripening Nero d’Avola which produces full-bodied wines blended with dark fruit flavors. The grape compares to Syrah as both varieties do well in the hot, dry Mediterranean climate and their intense aroma and flavor profiles are generally the same (Richard, 2014).
Historically, Nero d’Avola was primarily a blending grape, used to add color and body to wines from northern Italy and other parts of Europe. Due to its use mainly as a blending grape, Nero d Avola was victim to overplanting and vinification squandering away its character. Nero d’ Avola rarely featured on wine labels and those that bottled it sold it locally. The bottled wine was rustic, easy drinking without particular interest.
However, starting in the late 1980s, Nero d’Avola received new interest from a new generation of winemakers dedicated to indigenous varieties (Richard, 2014). The winemakers looked into the effects of soils, training methods and microclimates on the development of Nero d’Avola experimenting on various vinification and aging protocols. Their finding was promising; Nero d’ Avola can produce remarkable wines with good structure and engage flavors and texture when grown under optimal conditions with low yields.
Nero d’ Avola is flexible and can grow on different soil types and microclimates, which together with differences in the vinification produce its various expressions. The sandy soils in the coast of southeastern Sicily will produce different wines from those further inland which also differs from those in the mountainous region at a higher elevation. Nero d’Avola produces wines of various styles. Those consumed young are juicy, fruit-forward flavored with refreshing acidity while those for long-term aging are dense, dark and structured (Richard, 2014).
Stemmari Nero d’Avola
Producer
Stemmari is one of the wines produced by Nero d’Avola. Stemmari, located in Sambuca in the Province of Agrigento (southwestern Sicily about 60kms from the capital Palermo), has about 1500 acres of land divided between two vineyards: approximately 500 acres in Sambuca di Sicilia and nearly 1000 acres in Acante, farther south. The wine is a blend of the grapes from both estates, making this Nero d’ Avola authentically express Sicily’s diversity. Its aromatic quality comes from maritime climate and sandy soils of Acante and structure and body from fresher climate and clay soils of Sambuca (Allie, 2015).
Viticulture and Viniculture
The production of Stemmari Nero d’ Avola is approximately 400,000 bottles a year, about 35% of the total output. It is the main variety among the 13 produced by the winery and therefore receives a lot of time and attention to ensure the finished product is of the highest quality representing Silician Nero d’Avola. To achieve this, Lucio Matricardi (Stemmari winemaker) keeps a varietal and terroir at the winery and allows the fruit to shine with careful integration of oak (Allie, 2015).
Stemmari Nero d’Avola is a pleasantly fruity wine with just a taste of oak and results from the knowledge of the varietal’s limits. The limits of Nero d’Avola are its tendency to overwhelm in structure, color, alcohol, and power which according to Lucio are undesirable. Lucio know the importance of achieving a balance in these elements which proves that Nero d’Avola can be fresh, fruity, balanced and palate friendly; he has a Ph.D. in viticulture and enology with a concentration in oak aging (Allie, 2015).
In the production of terroir-driven wines, Stemmari believes in environm...