COS Nero di Lupo 2024

COS was founded in 1980 by Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano and Giusto Occhipinti, whose surnames give the winery its name, and the estate has farmed organically and worked with clay since the start. Nero di Lupo is made from Nero d'Avola grown in the Vittoria area of south-east Sicily, where the warm Mediterranean climate is tempered by coastal breezes and free-draining soils. Rather than the ripe, full-bodied style the grape often gives, this wine is picked to keep freshness, shown in its modest 12.5 percent alcohol. It is fermented and aged in clay amphorae buried or stood in the cellar, a vessel that allows very slow, gentle oxygen exchange through the porous walls without adding any oak flavour, which keeps the fruit pure and lends a savoury, mineral texture. The colour is a bright translucent ruby. The nose is fragrant with cherry, red berries and plum over earth, pepper and dried herbs. The palate is light to medium bodied, with fine tannin, fresh acidity and a saline, earthy finish. Serve lightly cooled at 14 to 16 degrees. Good with pork, poultry and tomato-based dishes.