Noto DOC Baroque Sicily, and the Likely Birthplace of Nero d'Avola

Very probably. The grape takes its name from Avola, which is one of the four communes inside the Noto DOC alongside Noto itself, Rosolini and Pachino, and the disciplinare identifies this corner of Sicily as the likely zone of origin for the variety. Nero d'Avola is now planted across the island and beyond, but this is the closest thing it has to a home address.

It depends which name is on the label. Noto Rosso requires a minimum of 65 per cent Nero d'Avola, leaving room for other permitted varieties. A bottle labelled Noto Nero d'Avola must contain at least 85 per cent of the grape, which is the standard Italian threshold for naming a single variety on a label. Both come from the same four communes in the province of Siracusa.

A historic sweet wine made entirely from Moscato Bianco, with no blending permitted. The denomination allows several versions: still Moscato di Noto, a sparkling spumante, a fortified liquoroso, and Passito di Noto made from grapes dried in the sun. It very nearly died out during the twentieth century and is still made in small quantities, so it is much harder to find than the zone's reds.

In the far south-east of Sicily, in the province of Siracusa. The delimited zone covers four communes: Noto, Rosolini, Pachino and Avola. Vineyards run from sea level up to around 300 metres across plain and low hills. Pachino, at the island's southern tip, is also well known for its tomatoes, which gives some sense of how warm and sun-exposed this corner is.

Both sit in south-eastern Sicily and both lean on Nero d'Avola, but they are built differently. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a DOCG that requires a fixed blend of 50 to 70 per cent Nero d'Avola with 30 to 50 per cent Frappato, which makes it pale and perfumed. Noto is a DOC and allows a far higher proportion of Nero d'Avola, up to a varietal 85 per cent, so its reds are darker and more structured.