From: Sicilia, Italy
Varietal: Nero d’Avola
Taste: Deep purple-red color. The nose reveals intense fruity blackberry, bing cherry, and blueberry compote notes combined with baking spice and a hint of smokiness. The palate is extraordinarily fresh and lifted, round and complete, with a natural and effortless balance of tannin, acidity, structure, and length. You'll find a new wine fave here if you love varietals like Gamay Noir from places like Beaujolais.
Pairing: Enjoy this with pasta with tomato-based sauces, red meats, barbecued pork ribs, or a juicy grilled steak. The local specialty of Farsumagru, rolled beef stuffed with sausage, bacon, cheese, and garlic, would be incredible. For today’s pairing, we’re sharing a recipe that combines elements of Mediterranean influence, a leaner protein, and a format that can be dressed up or down; hence, meatballs!
Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Meatballs
By Lidey Heuck
About. Purato is a line of certified organic wines from Vittoria in southern Sicily. The vineyards and winery have put into place extensive controls to obtain organic certification from Bioagricert, whose certifications are recognized in the United States. Purato celebrates the region's unique microclimate and extensive winemaking history. They call themselves “Green to the Extreme” as they tick all the sustainability and eco-friendly boxes. Carbon neutral, vegan friendly, and packaged in recycled and recyclable materials.
Lying close to the Mediterranean, Purato's vineyards benefit from cooling sea breezes. The estate's soil consists of a layer of light, red, sandy loam (terra rossa) resting on top of a limestone base, which helps retain vital water. In order to preserve this rich terroir, only natural techniques are used to assist cultivation. While the abundant wind and scarce rainfall naturally protect against pests, infestations are further prevented through limited copper and sulfur treatments and "sexual confusion" pheromone traps. In addition, only natural fertilizers are used to avoid introducing chemicals into the topsoil. Subterranean irrigation is utilized to prevent evaporation, thereby maximizing water efficiency. To further emphasize Purato's commitment to the stewardship of Sicily's land, Purato's packaging is entirely eco-friendly; labels are made using recycled paper and vegetable dyes, cartons are made from recycled paper and the bottles are 85% recycled glass.
The Nero d’Avola grapes (Nero d’Avola translates to the black grape from Avola) are grown in organic vineyards on hillside slopes in the Trapani area of the island. Trapani is north of Marsala, to the extreme west and is an area perfect for organic grape production. They train the vines using the traditional Sicilian Spalliera system. Harvest is in early October. The grapes are very gently pressed after de-stemming. During the early stages of fermentation, which takes about 15 days at a controlled temperature of approximately 28°C, they do a lot of pumping over in order to extract the right amount of colour and soft tannins. Once fermentation is finished, the wine is racked off and malolactic takes place.