Nerello Mascalese

The grape is seen as the Pinot Noir of Sicily, but with a touch more smokiness and flint. Nerello Mascalese originates from Mascali, a region situated close to Catania, on the east side of the island. There can be plantings found throughout the entire island, but the most noticeable must be the ones coming from the slopes of the Etna volcano. Here it plays a crucial part in the DOC Etna for red, rose and sparkling. Sometimes the grape Nerello Cappuccio is used for the blend in order to add some colour.

Aromas
Nerello concentrates on its fresh red fruit characters such as raspberries, dried red cherries also some pomegranates and fresh cranberries. Along with this freshness comes an elegant spicy and herbaceous side of the aromas in terms of dried rosemary, thyme, sage and allspice. Throughout all of the aromas, we always find a beautiful undertone of flint, due to the volcanic soil.

Colour
Light ruby red

Food matching
Due to its elegance, the number of tannins is not particularly high, therefore it can form a beautiful match with pork, poultry or veal. The red fruit and herbaceous side will complement dishes such as roasted eggplant or other vegetable casseroles, think of Sicily’s very own caponata, a mixture of tomatoes, capers, celery and again eggplant. Looking more towards the aromas of flint, allspice and the dried Mediterranean herbs, it comes to no surprise it will match very beautiful with the wild character of venison meat.