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Azienda Agricola COS
An old-vine Nero d'Avola from COS, the biodynamic estate in Vittoria, Sicily. Bastonaca's 50-year-old head-trained vines and ageing in large Slavonian oak give a savoury, leather-and-dark-cherry red with firm tannins built to cellar.
Built from the 312 drinker reviews on Vivino and COS's own notes: leather, baked earth and dark cherry over firm tannin, with tobacco from the Slavonian oak.
The nose is savoury before it is fruity, the signature drinkers return to across COS Contrada: leather, baked earth and dried herb over black cherry and blackberry, with a curl of tobacco from the Slavonian oak.
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepper
Liquorice
CocoaOld-vine concentration shows in the weight. Bastonaca's 50-year-old head-trained vines give dark plum and blackberry wrapped in firm, fine-grained tannin, kept fresh by the acidity Nero d'Avola kept from COS's cooler late-September pick. Licorice and a touch of cocoa trail the fruit.
Long and dry, leaning on earth, leather and Slavonian-oak spice rather than sweet fruit, the savoury Sicilian signature of COS Contrada rather than a soft, commercial Nero d'Avola.
A serious, terroir-driven Nero d'Avola: Vivino ranks the 2019 in the top 2% of all wines, at 4.2 from 116 ratings. Biodynamic, oak-aged and built to cellar, it sits well above COS's entry Nero di Lupo and rewards a few years' patience.
How this old-vine Sicilian Nero d'Avola scores for the table, the cellar and the wallet, from its tannin, acidity, oak ageing and roughly £30 price.
Firm tannin and Nero d'Avola acidity make COS Contrada a natural with grilled meat, tomato-rich Sicilian dishes and aged cheese, a genuine all-rounder at the table.
Old-vine concentration, firm tannin and ageing in large Slavonian oak give real cellar potential; the 2019 can rest into the early 2030s.
A cult biodynamic estate, single-district old-vine fruit and a roughly £30 price make COS Contrada a special-occasion Sicilian red.
Classic indigenous Nero d'Avola, but the savoury, earthy, firmly tannic natural style is less immediately crowd-pleasing than fruit-forward examples.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
A compact view of what the Terre Siciliane denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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A balanced Sicilian growing season behind it, the 2019 is rated 4.2 from 116 ratings on Vivino and ranks among the top 2% of all wines the site lists.
A balanced 2019 season in south-east Sicily gave fresh, structured fruit. With old-vine concentration and Slavonian-oak ageing the wine is drinking well now and should hold into the early 2030s.
A balanced 2019 season in south-east Sicily gave fresh, structured fruit. With old-vine concentration and Slavonian-oak ageing the wine is drinking well now and should hold into the early 2030s.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Fifty-year-old head-trained vines at 8,000 plants per hectare in Bastonaca, biodynamic farming and Slavonian-oak ageing put this well above everyday Nero d'Avola.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Terre Siciliane is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Terre Siciliane falls within Sicily , covering Sicily.
Firm tannin and a savoury, earthy core ask for substantial food. Pasta alla Norma is the regional home match; grilled meat and aged cheese do the rest.
The firm, fine-grained tannin from Bastonaca's 50-year-old vines needs protein and fat to settle. Charred beef and lamb pull the structure into balance while the wine's acidity cuts the richness.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Agnello Ragu Lucano · grilled lamb chops · porchetta · More pairings →
A Sicilian red for a Sicilian plate. Ripe tomato meets the wine's dark-cherry fruit while fried aubergine and salty ricotta salata stand up to its medium-full body.
Try with: Pasta alla Norma · pasta with tomato ragù · aubergine parmigiana · caponata · More pairings →
The bright acidity Nero d'Avola keeps in COS's hands slices through porchetta crackling and sausage fat, while the wine's leather and tobacco notes echo the roast's savoury crust.
Try with: Porchetta · Italian sausage · slow-roast pork belly · pork ribs · More pairings →
Hard, salty cheeses like caciocavallo and aged pecorino meet the tannin head-on. The salt softens the grip and the wine's earthy, savoury finish lingers.
Try with: Caciocavallo farcito · aged pecorino · aged provolone · ragusano · More pairings →
The dried-herb and baked-earth notes drinkers find in COS Contrada bridge to rosemary, thyme and the gaminess of slow-cooked lamb or wild boar, with oak spice carrying the link.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · herb-roasted lamb · wild boar ragù · braised mutton · More pairings →
Nero d'Avola's acidity mirrors the acidity in long-cooked tomato sauces, keeping rich meat ragù fresh, while the wine's structure carries the depth of a Sunday braise.
Try with: lamb ragù · beef braised in tomato · pasta with tomato ragù · meatballs in sugo · More pairings →
Firm tannin and oak amplify chilli burn, so vindaloo or fiery Sichuan turns the wine hot and bitter. At the other extreme its structure flattens delicate raw fish. Keep it to savoury, substantial dishes.
Skip with: vindaloo · Sichuan hotpot · sushi · oysters · delicate white fish · Pairing guide →
Old-vine structure and large Slavonian oak give real ageing capacity; retailers suggest up to eleven years, and the 2019 should hold into the early 2030s.
Peak around 2026. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Old-vine concentration, firm tannin and ageing in large Slavonian oak give real cellar potential; the 2019 can rest into the early 2030s.
Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumA single-vineyard Nero d'Avola from COS in Vittoria, south-eastern Sicily, one of the island's leading terroir-driven producers.
Dark cherry and plum with Mediterranean herbs and spice, in a medium-bodied, savoury style with fresh acidity.
Grilled meat, caponata, tomato-rich dishes and aged cheese.
Slightly below room temperature suits its freshness.
5 retailers
Terre Siciliane
5 retailers
£31.00
4 retailers
Terre Siciliane
4 retailers
£21.00
4 retailers
Terre Siciliane
4 retailers
£13.07
£16.26
3 retailers
Terre Siciliane
3 retailers
£28.08
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