The Nero d’Avola grape variety is also known as “Calabrese,” which suggests that it is native to that region. In reality, this name seems to derive from the mistaken translation of the Sicilian dialect “calauris,” derived from the combination of the words “calea,” meaning “grape,” and “aulisi,” meaning “from Avola,” a village in the province of Syracuse.
According to legend, the vine first sprouted in Sicily from the tears of Dionysus, who wept from thirst. Thus was born that nectar which the god himself gave to men, to comfort them from their toils, and to the gods, to cheer their spirits.