Picciò Syrah Terre Siciliane IGT 13.5%

Sicily, is of course the football at the foot of Italys boot toe, as synonymous with dark Mafia goings on as it is with the brooding, ever smoking presence of Europes most active volcano, Mount Etna. Sicily has however for wine lovers also become tightly associated for the last decade with one very robust red wine, the endless iterations of Nero DAvola. For many years it was hoped that Nero DAvola could take on Australia and its world beating spicy Shiraz. Needless to say that overblown idea did not come to pass, high alcohol and a robust rustic edge do not equate with the emerging complexity and diversity of Australian Shiraz. This Sicilian Syrah is a balanced and restrained example in the style of a fruitier, fresher and lighter French Syrah, than a blockbuster cracked black pepper Australian Shiraz. Jean Smullen Wine Journalist