Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC

Le Casematte is owned by the charismatic Gianfranco Sabbatino and soccer champion Andrea Barzagli, whose collective passion for terroir-driven wines come through in their wines. Located on the northeastern corner of the triangular island, near Messina, Le Casematte’s flagship wine is a Faro DOC, a single, tiny, quality-driven appellation, whose total surface is a mere 20 hectares – less than 50 acres. And in fact, the winery is located at Faro Superiore, high above the Strait of Messina, where the steep hillsides have a 70% gradient. It was named after two casematte or casemates (also known as bunkers) from World War II that sit on the main property and served as observatories and defensive structures at that time.

Nero d’Avola is one of the most widely grown grapes in the whole of Sicily and is often compared to Shiraz from other nations. This “black” grape thrives in the blistering Sicilian sun and is juicy, crisp, fruity and fragrant. A warm and full-bodied wine, Le Casematte’s version is grown in vineyards in Butera, Sicily, from twenty-year-old vines. It ages about three months in stainless steel and about three months in bottle.