I Mori Leggermente Appassito Rosso

I Mori or “Teste di Moro” are traditional, colourful Sicilian handmade ceramic vases often displayed on balconies. How lovely! And then we found out the true story behind it all – yikes!

In the 11th century a young Sicilian girl (known as Kalsa) was often seen on her balcony caring for her plants and flowers. A young man passing by liked what he saw, declared his love for her and the two love birds settled down ever after. That was until Kalsa realised the guy had a wife and kids at home – uh-oh. So what did she do? She waited until night fall and chopped his head off! She placed it on her balcony so that her lover would be with her forever. Totally normal behaviour.

If you’re in the game for some great value Italian red then keep your head screwed on (unlike the bloke above!) and grab yourself a bottle or two of this bloody good value red from Sicily. ‘Leggermente Appassito’ means its made with partically dried grapes – this one made from Sicilian Syrah grapes.

Scoring 90/100 with Master of Wine Bob Campbell who said “Made from syrah grapes that have been slightly dried on straw mats to gain extra concentration. Rich, dense red wine with cassis, chocolate/mocha, liquorice and a hint of wood smoke. Offers plenty of bang per buck.”

This is a style you’ll happily glug with or without food, if you do want to bust it out at the dinner table it’ll pair with a wide range of grilled, roasted and barbecued red meats.