2023 Nero d'Avola

Nero d'Avola is a wine grape that is native to the Italian town of Avola, located on the island of Sicily. The grape has traditionally been used for blending, but has recently emerged as a popular stand-alone varietal. Nero d'Avola thrives in the hot, arid climate of Sicily - which makes it well suited to the hot and dry conditions in many parts of Australia.

Somewhat of a love-hate relationship exists for our Nero d’Avola here at Gibson. We discovered a few rows planted in amongst one of our grower’s Shiraz blocks, just on the border of the Eastern Barossa floor. Our pain with the variety comes through its tendency to have poor fruit set - cold Spring winds commonly hitting our grower’s block. Some years the bunches are barely worth picking, with scattered berries of very small berry weight.

We can’t help fall back in love with it though. As our 2023 vintage shows, it can make for a wine of youthful and fresh flavour. Bright red in colour with a ruby hue, aromas of red currants, black cherry and pomegranate are upfront with hints of Italian herbs. The palate displays flavours of mulberry, raspberry and cherry cola, with a lively acidity that provides great length, finishing with fine savoury tannins.

This lighter style red wine is perfect for a summer day with friends. Pair it with a wood fired pizza or your favourite tomato-based pasta.