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More wines available from Tasca D'almerita
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$17.91
A light- to medium-bodied red, with dried cherry, bitter plum fruit and cola flavors underscored by smoke and dried...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.80
$22.00
Expression of Nero d'Avola grapes of high hills. Primary aromas, without excess ripeness, differentiate it from the...
750ml
Bottle:
$48.95
A lovely nose of fresh red cherry, rose petal and grated nutmeg. Medium-to full-bodied with zesty acidity and silky...
750ml
Bottle:
$40.94
Mt Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, is situated on the eastern side of Sicily and is home to some of...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.04
$41.09
Sciaranuova, one of the four contrade (districts) in which we live and work, is located at an average elevation of...
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Winery
Tasca D'almerita
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Region: Sicily
Sicily has been an important wine region for thousands of years, with the ancient Greek settlers being among the first to discover its remarkable aptitude for viticulture. It isn't difficult to understand why they were impressed, and nor is it hard to understand why the island's wine industry continues to boom to this day. The climate on Sicily is ideal for wine production – sunshine beating down on the vineyards almost all year round, and a highly fertile volcanic soil produced from such magnificent peaks as Mount Etna. Sicily's vineyards are mostly used for the production of sweet dessert wines and fortified wines, such as the famous wine of Marsala, but the variety found across the island is impressive, and results in a great range of dry white and red wines packed full of exciting fruit flavors.
Country: Italy
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.