The international variety that does the best in the sun of Sicily. The vineyards are at altitude that ensures the grapes don’t get burnt out. In fact far from it, though the wine has a velvety richness it has a supremely balanced palate. Lovely violet glints in the glass, great tannic poise. They say Burgundian in style, we say, hold on a moment, not really, this is in the tip top Languedoc sort of thing, but with a cherry scent that is so very Italian. Not for the faint hearted, but then again what exactly is for the faint hearted?

The Alessandros from Camporeale. Small town in the hills above Palermo. Longstanding fields left to go to seed over the years till the brothers decided to make like a vigneron and get growing. They started in and around 2000 with Syrah plantings and have progressed to Nero d’Avola, Cataratto and Sauvignon Blanc, which we have yet to bring over. Sicilyhas the climate to produce fantastic fruit with no real worry over the weather. They are lucky too that regulations do not allow irrigation so we have great vines struggling hard against the heat, they just concentrate all that flavour into those lovely little berries. The Alessandros are a top team and the products they gently release onto the market are accepted within months as outstanding. They started with Kaid Syrah, and now even have an incredibly perfumed and unctuous sweet Syrah to finish off the range.