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09/13/2000 Archived Entry: "Wine Buy of The Week"

Morgante Nero d'Avola 1998 is from Sicily. Morgante is the producer, Nero d'Avola is a grape variety that we are just beginning to see on labels of wines from Sicily. It's a grape, at least in this case, with very a spicy bouquet that smells also of ripe, black cherries. Indeed, the color is like that of a dark, ripe Bing cherry.

It's a powerhouse wine, and it ages well, too, says Carol Berman, our Food Talk Sommelier. Witness: Carol had a bottle open for two days and, as she put it, it was "still kicking."

On the palate, she tasted dark cherry fruit and some earthiness. What forebodes good aging is that the wine has structure, which is to say good acidity and a tannic backbone. For $10.99, it's a lot of wine. Winebow of New Jersey is the importer

The wine hails from Grotte, in the province of Agrigento, and this is the first release of it from Morgante, a family operation, which planted the vineyard in 1986. The winemaker is Ricardo Cotarella, who is now considered one of the leading oenologists in Italy. He works with many different wineries, and he also supervised the making of Falesco Vitiano, an Umbrian red that was one of Carol's selections early in the summer.

As for what to eat while drinking it, I think any roasted or grilled meat, or dark poultry such as squab or duck, and especially a meat dish with strong herbal flavors, such as the baked leg of lamb oreganata in my book Naples At Table goes very well. A rack of lamb with a rosemary and garlic crust would be excellent. It can also gorgeously complement a Southern Italian-style ragu - tomato-based meat sauce - you know, with bracciole, meatballs, pork ribs, etc. Personally, I'd also love to sip it with a few hunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or say, a well-aged Provolone or Cacciocavalo.