The closer it got to Halloween, the more intriguing this deep red wine appeared. It was that time of year when being festive means darkness, deep colors, and spooky themes. This wine had it all! Even the label seemed in on the theme with the faded outline of a vine with no growth on it, the branches ever reaching out.
Fondo Antico is a winery in Sicily that was established in 1995. They grow mostly grapes indigenous to Sicily, such as Nero d’Avola, which was the main blending grape in this bottle. The climate is dry and the soil is very sandy.*
Nero d’Avola is the most planted grape in all of Sicily. While some vineyards do produce 100% Nero d’Avola bottles, most are used as a blending grape. Nero d’Avola generally produces a full-bodied wine with strong tannins and some acidity. Nero d’Avola blends are usually stored in oak barrels. If this wine is aged, it’s flavor profile changes from fruit-forward to more dark chocolate covered raspberry.*
This wine was from Sicily, Italy and sampled on October 21, 2017. There was that lovely and festive red color. I breathed in deeply scents of dark, slightly overripe blueberries. There was a cherry cough medicine smell hiding underneath it all. I was listening to “The Scientist” by Coldplay. It tasted very full-bodied, like a jam made of prunes. There was maybe a little bit of salt coming through. It paired quite well with the hearty chili and eggs. It combatted some of the spice nicely.
I gave this wine a rating of 4.0. Maybe it was the mood of season, but I enjoyed this wine wholly. Being a nice compliment to the robust chili instead of overpowering it or conflicting altogether was great and a little unexpected.
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