2009 Tenute Orestiadi Ludovico Rosso Sicilia IGT Sicily 750 ml

A Super Sicilian Bargain

It was a holiday dinner, so all the usual suspects were at the table: vintage bubbly, Premier Cru Burgundy, and towering Napa Cabernets to accompany our short ribs and polenta. Everything was exactly as delicious as expected—until one of our Italian winemaker friends snuck an unfamiliar bottle into the mix. But the decade-old, out-of-the-way Italian beauty left everyone at the table extremely impressed, and definitely got us talking about what makes the perfect dinner party wine: it’s gotta be delicious, without being pricey or predictable.

By those criteria—and at $14.99 on a case or more—the Tenute Orestiadi Ludovico Rosso Sicilia sets the bar high, and Wine Access is the only place you’ll find it.

An intense “Super Sicilian” blend, the Ludovico stood out for all the right reasons. Now a deep garnet color after nearly a decade in the cellar, the Sicilian gem was was absolutely bursting with complex aromas of fig and blackberry jam, fresh mint, and singed rosemary, and showed off exactly what you want with a rich meal: boldness, robust fruit, and beautifully integrated tannins. Out of respect for the guests who brought the other bottles, we’ll stop short of saying that Tenute Orestiadi stole the show.

Part of what makes Nero d’Avola a great value is that it is not exactly a household name in the United States. It is the marquee red grape of Sicily—a thin-skinned, very late-ripening variety known for its deep color, aromas of black fruit and violets, and firm structure—and on the island, it is often blended with international varieties. The 2009 Ludovico is a blend of Nero d’Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which are harvested in small containers, destemmed and fermented, then aged in French oak for over a year. How confident were the producers in its aging potential? Well, they waited until 2015—six years after bottling—to submit the wine to the Decanter World Wine Awards, where it won Silver. Now with several more years under its belt, it is positively singing.

Expressive, complex, and charming, it’ll be hard to top this one for dollar-for-dollar pleasure delivery.