Nero d'Avola
Also known as Calabrese
Sicily, Italy
Sicily's leading red grape, dark, plummy and warm, from the area around Avola in the south-east.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Warm climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Italy
Background
Origin & History
Nero d'Avola, whose name means "black of Avola", takes it from the town of Avola near Syracuse, in south-eastern Sicily. Its other name, Calabrese, is probably not a sign of Calabrian origin but an Italianisation of the Sicilian calaulisi, meaning 'from Avola'. It is Sicily's most planted red and thrives in heat, giving dark, plummy wines with a gentle acidity.
It is made alone, and it is blended with Frappato in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, a DOCG since 2005.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Nero d'Avola is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Nero d'Avola are documented in the collection yet.