Fuedo Arancio Nero d'Avola

This was the first time we had the grape Nero d'Avola from Sicily. We picked up Feudo Arancio because it is the "better" recommendation in Chapter 15 -- Other Great Reds -- of Carolyn Evans Hammond's  Good, Better, Best Wines: A No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wines.  The good wine in this category is Gabbiano Chianti and the best is Bogle Petite Sirah.

Hammond points out that Feudo Arancio is the number one selling Nero d'Avola in the U.S. and she finds "flavors of dark toffee, sweet tobacco, red apple, ripe plum, and black pepper" and that it's "full bodied." Hmm.  We are more in agreement with a taster on CellarTracker who said it was light to medium bodied and had flavors of dusty cherries and spices.

We'll be looking for more examples of Nero d'Avola to compare to this one. There have been Nero d'Avola wines as Chairman's Selections in the past.

• Code: 9338
• Description: Feudo Arancio Nero D'Avola
• Size: 750 ML
• Price: $10.99

Generally available but check PLCB Product Search. WineSearcher lists Joe Canal's in Marlton as having it for $6.99.