COS “Nero di Lupa”
TERRE SICILIANE, ITALY | 2022
In recent years, Sicilian wine has become perhaps the hottest category in the world of Italian wines. Maybe we can blame it on The White Lotus, the ever popular HBO series? While I think that is part of it, this popularity coincides with a high level of quality coming from various regions on the island. There has never been a better time to buy wines from Sicily than right now!
One winery that has helped elevate the perception of quality in Sicily is that of COS. Started by three friends in the 1980’s, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano, the first letter of their last three names formed the name of the winery. Occhipinti came from a family of grape growers, and his father gave the three friends their initial grapes to experiment with. Fast forward several years, and their wines from the appellation of Cerasulo di Vittoria have become synonymous with Sicilian wine.
Over the years, they have also championed organic and biodynamic viticulture, dry farming, vinification with natural yeast, and low levels of SO2 at press and bottling. Natural winemakers around the world have taken a great deal of inspiration from this trio.
“Nero di Lupo” is the COS expression of the indigenous variety called Nero d’Avola. There is a great deal of confusion over how a wine made from Nero d’Avola should taste? Many know it as a grape that produces beefy, full-bodied reds, often times with dark fruit and lots of oak spice notes. That is certainly one side of Nero d’Avola. It can also showcase elegance, as in the case of this version from COS. Here the grapes are hand harvested from vineyards with the classic sandy soil of the region. There is limestone and layers of clay and calcareous tufa underneath, give the grapes acidity and depth of flavor. Spontaneous fermentation on the skins occurs with indigenous yeast in concrete tanks. Nero di Lupo ages in concrete vats for nine months followed by three months in the bottle before release.
The 2022 Nero di Lupo really jumps out of the glass, with beautiful aromas and flavors of blackberry, flowers, and savory herbs. There is a bright juicy quality to the wine, but still depth and richness. Try this with lamb involtini, stuffed with bread crumbs, pancetta, garlic, rosemary and Grana Padano cheese.