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Virgin Wines' Sicilian red, made by the Biscardo family. Nero d'Avola is left to wither on the vine for depth, Frappato is picked early for freshness: plum, blackberry and vanilla at 13.5%. Well liked by Virgin's customers. £17 a bottle.
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One shop sells this wine in the UK, so there is no price to compare between shops. Each price is the one on its page today, read daily.
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Rich, ripe red fruit with a backbone of immense freshness. The notes below say what is in the glass, and how Maurizio Biscardo's vine-drying shapes it.
Plum and blackberry lead. Oak, tobacco and vanilla follow, then cherry and red fruit, with leather, smoke and a little dried fruit behind. The fruit is rich and ripe; the dried-fruit edge comes from the Nero d'Avola left to shrivel on the vine.
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Prune
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepper
VanillaFull-bodied but fresh. Maurizio Biscardo lets the Nero d'Avola wither on the vine before picking, which concentrates its sugar and gives the wine its ripe, generous fruit. The Frappato is picked at its earliest ripeness to add a big lift of freshness. Tannins are soft and the alcohol a modest 13.5%.
Medium-long, with vanilla, a peppery edge and a little smoke. Nothing jammy: the early-picked Frappato keeps the end clean.
A ripe but balanced Sicilian red, and a well-liked one; the 2019 and 2020 were the best-liked years. Drink the 2024 from now to 2030 with grilled or spiced lamb, rich pasta or hard cheese.
Virgin Wines is the only UK shop we track with it: £16.99 a bottle for the 2024, covered by Virgin's money-back guarantee. Its customers rate it highly.
Four scores out of ten. Eghemon scores highest as an introduction to Sicilian reds, then for food and value at £17, and well for everyday drinking.
Ripe plum and blackberry, soft tannin, vanilla and only 13.5% alcohol: an easy first Sicilian red, and most people who try it agree.
Full but fresh, with soft tannin: good with grilled meat, spiced lamb, rich pasta and hard cheese. Wrong for raw fish, sour dishes and fierce chilli.
At £17 from Virgin Wines, a well-liked Sicilian red that its customers rate highly.
At £17 and 13.5% it is a weekend rather than a weeknight red, though the soft style suits an ordinary dinner as well as a special one.
A merchant's own label with no DOC or IGT stated by Virgin Wines. Good for a casual dinner, not a gift or celebration wine.
Made to drink young. It will soften over the years to 2030 rather than gain complexity, so there is no reason to wait.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
One vintage is on sale in the UK, the 2024, at £16.99. It is at its best from now to the end of 2030. The harvest story is in the card below.
Sicily's 2024 harvest was about 20% smaller than usual because of drought, but the island's growers called the quality excellent. Nero d'Avola and Frappato coped with the dry year better than most grapes. Virgin Wines says this 2024 is at its best from now to the end of 2030.
Sicily's 2024 harvest was about 20% smaller than usual because of drought, but the island's growers called the quality excellent. Nero d'Avola and Frappato coped with the dry year better than most grapes. Virgin Wines says this 2024 is at its best from now to the end of 2030.
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.
A full but fresh 13.5% red with soft tannin and ripe, partly dried fruit wants meat, spice or salt. Beef, lamb and pasta are its surest matches, and it is great with spicy lamb.
Meat fat and char soften the gentle tannin of this Nero d'Avola. Its ripe plum and blackberry fruit stands up to a well-seasoned steak. Beef and lamb are its first matches.
Try with: Ribeye steak · Sirloin steak · Lamb chops · Fiorentina steak · More pairings →
Ripe, slightly dried fruit and soft tannin cool mild spice rather than fighting it. The vanilla and pepper in the wine echo a tandoori marinade. It is great with spicy lamb; keep the heat mild or medium.
Try with: Tandoori lamb chops · Lamb bhuna · Lamb seekh kebab · Lamb Kebab · More pairings →
The freshness the early-picked Frappato brings keeps this red lively next to a tomato-based ragu. The ripe Nero d'Avola matches the sauce's sweetness. Pasta is a natural match.
Try with: Ragu alla bolognese · Lasagna · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Pizza Diavola · More pairings →
Salt in a hard, aged cheese makes the plum and dried-fruit notes of a partly withered Nero d'Avola taste rounder and sweeter. The soft tannin never clashes with the fat. A Sicilian caciocavallo is the natural choice.
Try with: Caciocavallo farcito · Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Frico · Cheese board · More pairings →
A full-bodied red at a modest 13.5% matches the weight of a long braise without overpowering it. The tobacco and leather notes suit dark, slow-cooked gravies.
Try with: Beef stew · Lamb shank · Venison Stew · Leg of lamb · More pairings →
Oak and ripe, partly dried fruit turn raw fish metallic and make a hot chilli burn hotter. A sharp, sour dish makes the wine taste flat, and a sweet pudding makes a dry red taste thin. Keep it for meat, pasta and cheese.
Skip with: Oysters · Sashimi · Green curry · Som Tam · Cheesecake · Pairing guide →
The 2024 has a window from now to the end of 2030. It is made to drink young; store it on its side away from heat and open it well before then.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Made to drink young. It will soften over the years to 2030 rather than gain complexity, so there is no reason to wait.
£16.99 for a 75cl bottle of the 2024, at Virginwines, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 8 Oct 2026, 03:01 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn 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 · MediumOur 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 · MediumThe Biscardo family, winemakers since 1878, now run by brothers Maurizio and Martino Biscardo. Virgin Wines names Maurizio as the winemaker and sells the wine as its own label. The family's Sicilian label, Baglio Gibellina, makes a sister wine called U Passimiento from the same two grapes.
Nero d'Avola and Frappato, two native Sicilian red grapes. The Nero d'Avola is left to wither on the vine before picking, which concentrates its sugar; the Frappato is picked early to keep the blend fresh.
Passimiento is the wine's brand name. It refers to the Nero d'Avola being dried before pressing, an ancient winemaking technique. The Frappato is picked early, and the finished wine is 13.5%.
Ripe plum and blackberry with vanilla, tobacco and a little pepper, then a full but fresh palate with soft tannin. Oak and vanilla sit behind the fruit, and the whole is smooth and slightly peppery.
£16.99 a bottle at Virgin Wines, the only UK shop we track with it, and every bottle carries Virgin's money-back guarantee.
Grilled beef and lamb, spiced lamb and mild curries, rich pasta and aged cheese. Beef, lamb and pasta are its surest matches, and spicy lamb works well. Avoid raw fish, sour salads and fierce chilli.
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