Sicily's Nero d'Avola: The wine of 'The Leopard'

“I belong to an unlucky generation, astride between two worlds and ill-at-ease in both. And what is more, I am completely without illusions. Now, what would the Senate do with me, an inexperienced legislator who lacks the faculty for self-deception, an essential requisite for wanting to guide others. No, I cannot lift a finger in politics. It would be bitten off.”
— Prince Don Fabrizio Salina, “The Leopard”

You’ve probably never heard of the fictitious Sicilian Prince Don Fabrizio Salina.
He’s the main character in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Italian classic novel, “Il Gattopardo” (The Leopard, 1958).
Director Luchino Visconti’s turned the book into a cinematic masterpiece of the same name, a big hit in Europe when it debuted in 1963.
The film tells a significant story of revolutionary times in Sicily in the 1860s. Garibaldi’s rebel band is sweeping across Italy battling the king’s corrupt and inept army, and pushing the ruling aristocracy to the brink with each surprising victory. The time is known as “Risorgimento” in Italy, when Garibaldi unified the multiple city-states into one sovereign land.
Don Fabrizio, a powerful and honest man, is caught in the middle of the changing times. Does he stay with the devil he knows or relinquish to the one promising hope of a new day?
The movie is remarkable on several levels: Visconti’s genius as a director; and American actor Burt Lancaster’s performance in the lead role.
Visconti was opposed to Lancaster but producers wanted a bankable Hollywood star. Lancaster learned to speak Italian, and later won Visconti’s admiration for capturing Salinas’ essence as that of an aging, dignified prince who exuded wealth, glamour and power through intelligence and restraint — not through force.
In one of the movie’s defining moments, Don Fabrizio dances with his nephew’s beautiful fiancee Angelica, played by Claudia Cardinale. What follows is a dazzling ballroom scene filled with dashing sensuality and strength. The crowd is held in awe. The waltz ends and … well, I’m not going to spoil it for those who might want to see the movie (Note: The Italian version with English subtitles is actually better than the cut-to-shred English language film.)
So what does “The Leopard” have to do with wine?
Prince Salina drinks plenty of it and I’d like to think he was drinking Sicily’s pre-eminent red grape, Nero’ d’Avola.
“Nero” means black in Italian and this wine pours from the bottle a deep purple. It’s voluptuous on the palate, infusing black berry aromas and flavors with savory spices. Sicilian vintners craft a 100 percent Nero d’Avola as well as a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. One is softer and juicier, the other firm and savory.
Recently, I drank Feudo Maccari’s Saia Sicilia Nero D’Avola 2012 with a plate of cheese gnocchi in a rich Bolognese sauce. It was a perfect match. Saia features plush dark fruit, licorice, spicy cinnamon and spearmint flavors and silky tannins. Saia costs about $28 to $33 a bottle and is distributed by Kobrand in local wine stores.
For Nero d’Avola wines costing less than $20, try versions from Stemmari, Cusumano, and Villa Pozzi.
Drink to Sicily and Don Fabrizio.