In the Shadow of the Gods: Tasting Sicily’s Diodoros Nero d’Avola

Photo by Joe Roberts

It’s not often that you get to drink wine made from a vineyard that is farmed in an actual historical tourist attraction.

But that’s how we roll when I am touring Sicily on a media trip to catch up on what’s new and exciting in the local wine scene in Italy’s largest island (lucky me)! And while it’s always my pleasure to visit, taste in, and talk about Sicily, I figured that Italy could use the extra love these days in the time of a global pandemic, when it’s a lot more difficult for us to actually get there and see, feel, and taste for ourselves in person.

My recent Sicilian media trek afforded me the opportunity to visit the somewhat inappropriately named Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples), a striking UNESCO site that is not at all in an actual valley, but instead sits high on a hilltop in Agrigento - and just happens to be home to some of the most magnificently preserved examples of ancient Greek temples and archeological findings in all of Europe.

The fact that they grow wine grapes there is kind of a bonus. And yes, they do actually grow wine grapes in a sun-drenched vineyard there, which while not exactly on the tourist trail directly, sits just below the hill of temples and technically within the designated boundaries of the historical site.

Photo by Joe Roberts

The particular wine made from the grapes grown there is CVA Canicattì’s “Diodoros” Nero d’Avola-based red, named after the ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus. Siculus might not be a household name in the USA, but his work is seen as incredibly influential by those familiar with the history of, well, history. As Wikipedia describes it, his work was also staggeringly large for the time:

He is known for writing the monumental universal history Bibliotheca historica, in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact, between 60 and 30 BC. The history broke new ground in not being Hellenocentric, partly because of Stoic influences on his belief in the brotherhood of all men.

Unlike the temples, the vines that source Diodoros actually do grow in the valley, right in the shadows of the temple of Giunone and within an Olympic discus-toss of the rest of Agrigento’s most famous tourist attraction. Not that there are very many shadows in this spot, mind you, where CVA Canicattì has been able to maintain the three hectares of field-blended vine plantings (once in disrepair, and dating back to the 1970s), since an agreement that was reached in 2011. The grapes growing from these sandy-alluvial soils see some intense heat and sunlight (to which I can attest personally, having visited right around harvest time!). All of that ample sunlight promotes intense grape ripening, particularly for Nero d’Avola - creating a deep, ripe flavor profile with the kind of oomph that you’d expect from a drink that’s made in close proximity to homages to the ancient gods!

Photo by Joe Roberts

2015 CVA Canicattì Diodoros ‘Il Vino della Valle’ Rosso

90% Nero d’Avola, with the remainder comprised of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, this is fresh, plummy, and chewy, with a ton of character – and most of that character is textbook Sicilian red: just enough fullness, just enough grip, and just enough silky suppleness. Blackberry, blueberry, and red plum flavors are all up the mix, topped with aromas of leather, tobacco, rose petal, earth, wood, and baking spices. The finish has nice length, retarding into a sense of heat and power (probably from the grapes getting all of that intense sunlight). You’ll want aged cheeses with this, because, well, that pairing would just rule.

Cheers!

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