Question: I’ve been hearing a lot about Sicilian wines lately, what’s the big deal?

The first thing Sicilians will tell you is that they are not Italian. And the inhabitants of the Etna region, surrounding Europe’s largest and most active volcano, will impress upon you that they are ‘an island within an island.’ 

The next thing they will say with pride is that while their island is the largest in the Mediterranean at just shy of 10,000 square miles, it is a continent in terms of microclimates and soils. The Mount Etna region, for example, gets three times more rainfall than the rest of the island. 

This diversity of climates coupled with the different vineyard elevations makes Sicily an exciting place to grow wine. Formerly the supplier of dark, alcoholic red plonk to put lead in the pencils of wines grown in the cooler northern provinces of the country (and if truth be told, surreptitiously, in other European countries as well), Sicily has emerged as Italy’s Cinderella region.  More and more mainland producers are buying vineyard land here, attracted by the land costs, the almost perfect growing conditions and the presence of ancient indigenous varieties that have nothing to do with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. At a time when wine consumers around the world are looking for something new Sicily offers an astonishing collection of hitherto unknown varieties.

Cusumano Syrah 2013 (Sicily)
Price: $11.95, LCBO #145490)
This wine is deep ruby in colour, and the nose has that characteristic Syrah bouquet of black cherries, white pepper and tar with a light florality. It's dry, full-bodied with cherry and licorice flavours finishing on a savoury, herbal note.

Food match: steak tartar; aged cheddar