Wine of the Week: Cusumano Nero D'Avola 2007

When I heard wine expert Joshua Wesson refer to Nero D'Avola as the "next big thing" on a recent episode of The Splendid Table, I immediately knew that a bottle of it was in my future. The grape is a native of Sicily, and still relatively unknown (read: affordable). I found Cusumano's 2007 vintage at my local wine shop for about $12. The young wine is a deep purple color, with an aroma of red fruit and not a little alcohol on the nose. I read several reviews that also referred to an aroma of juniper berries, but I had a hard time picking that up through the alcohol. I found the wine to be medium- to full-bodied, with noticeable tannins and a medium, crisp finish. In terms of taste, it seemed to me that a lot of the fruit got lost behind the tannins, acid, and alcohol. I picked up a strawberry flavor, but the wine seemed a little tight, which is not surprising, since it is so young. Overall, I found the wine to be just okay, but I suspect there is a lot more to it and would like to try decanting it in order to bring out more of the flavors.