I have finally calmed down after my outstanding time at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Life is moving more steadily now and some bright opportunities are on the horizon.

I was invited down for a Mom’s night last Friday evening and was introduced to my wine review of the week that comes from the sun drenched slopes of Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy.  This is not a complex wine, but a great wine for entertaining with on a casual Friday night.

Vigneti Zabù ‘Il Passo’ Nerello Mascalese Sicilia, Italy IGT 2013 is a pleasing wine.  This is a blend of two lesser known grape varieties, Nerello Mascalese and Nero D’Avola.  Nerello Mascalese is an off-spring of Sangiovese and is grown on the slopes of Mount Etna – its roots need to dive deep into the soil searching for water and the result is fantastic.  Nero D’Avola again hails from Sicily and translated means ‘Black of Avola’, Avola being the place it is named after.

In the glass, this wine is a nice ruby red colour with aromas of black cherry, blackberries, black pepper, a dusting of mocha and vanilla and ending with a hint of rose.  Wow.  On the palate, it is a lush wine with very smooth tannins – nothing ‘grippy’ here.  It is juicy and fruity and smooth – a very approachable wine for a wine drinker that would like to try something new. The alcohol is medium at 13% abv.

Il Passo is currently on sale at the BCLDB for $16.99 down from $19.99.  A great wine to pick up for a casual Friday evening get-together or home cooked pasta with meat sauce.

Enjoy your week!

XO
C