Sicily steps forward with its wine

One of the hottest — literally — winegrowing regions in Europe is Sicily.

This island has a couple of millennia in the winemaking business and a real gangster cache for its wines, but it is in the past 20 years or so that we have seen serious red wines come out of this arid climate.

Cusumano is the top winemaking family in Sicily and their wines are simply stunning. From their top cuvees called Noa, Sagana and Benoara, right down to this superb bargain selection, made from merlot, the Cusumano wines transcend the traditional Italian winemaking approach.

In the glass, Cusumano Merlot is a deep blackish-red color with deep ruby-red to pink rim definition and high viscosity.

On the nose, there is at first soft crushed black fruit, then vanilla, new oak reference, juicy blueberry soup, blackberry fruit, boysenberry juice, creme brulee and toasted bread tips.

The palate is rounded with a big mouth-feel and balanced tannin structure. There is a lot of black fruit juice, along with hints of licorice, aniseed oil and slightly spicy minerals through the midpalate and a long finish that lingers for more than 30 seconds.

What a mouthful of classy Italian merlot this is. It used to have to be called “vino da tavola,” or just plain table wine, but with the new system passed in 2000, it can be called “IGT” or Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which means a wine made in a certain geographical area under the rules set forth by Italy’s controlling body for agriculture.

Open it well in advance of consumption and try it with a grilled rare piece of tri-tip steak, maybe with a side of roasted mushrooms and some nice peppercorn sauce.

This is the first wine I have reviewed that uses the interesting and attractive glass stopper in the bottle. I think you’ll agree with me that all wines less than $30 should have this highly inventive and useful closure. It means you can come back to the wine for a second round the next day without the loss of taste.

Wine: Cusumano Merlot IGT

Grape: Merlot

Region: Sicily

Vintage: 2006

Price: $9.99

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.