Here's a wine that I highly recommend you seek before these 7,000 bottles are gone. The Bonavita 2017 Faro shows a very fun and vibrant bouquet with all kinds of small detailing and embroidery. Wild forest berry is interwoven with grilled rosemary, dried rose, licorice root and a savory touch of camphor ash or balsamic herb. In fact, those herbal and floral aromas appear with more intensity against a neutral background of dark plummy fruit. The blend is 60% Nerello Mascalese, 30% Nerello Cappuccio and 10% Nocera. You need to come up with a special food pairing for this wine, focusing on flavors that are a bit soft and sweet to contrast against the sharper qualities of this wine. A lamb tajine with stewed plums might do the trick.

Loaded with loamy earth and mineral notes on the nose, this features a savory character that underscores flavors of dried cherry and aromatic thyme on the palate, showing violet accents. Fresh and medium-bodied, with chewy tannins firming the finish. Drink now through 2024. 460 cases made, 200 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Italy / South / Sicily / Faro Select to Add

In the past, this wine was registered as Faro Superiore, but it is identified just by the Faro appellation today. The Bonavita 2016 Faro represents a blend of the three grapes (Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Nocera) that make up this appellation on the northern tip of Sicily that faces mainland Calabria. This is a compact, mid-weight wine that opens to a very distinctive bouquet that is characterized by somewhat raw and edgy aromas of cassis, sour cherry, spice, tar, cola and balsam herb. The wine ends with a touch of astringent freshness that would make it a good pairing partner to a cheesy dish like pasta alla Norma. This wine might not appeal to everyone, but it is extremely interesting and indigenous within the context of Sicilian wine. Some 9,000 bottles were made.

The 2011 Faro shows broad shoulders and big extraction with high levels of fruit intensity and tightness of structure to boot. Prune, black cherry, spice, ground pepper and clove come into sharp focus. There’s a raw and slightly untamed quality to this wine that is ultimately its most attractive feature. Drink 2015-2022. The Faro appellation in Messina province is among the most dramatic viticulture spots I have seen in Italy. Steep terraces of head-pruned vines descend rapidly to the sea facing the Straits of Messina. As ancient sailors and maritime experts can testify (Odysseus among them), the wind conditions of the Straits are completely unpredictable and wildly evocative. Proprietor Giovanni Scarfone and his father have a few precious hectares of vines which they farm according to organic and non-interventionist philosophies. They have Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Nocera vines ranging from seven to 65 years old. Importers: Jan D’Amore Wines, www.jandamorewines.com; Oliver McCrum Wines, www.omwines.com; C&G Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 327-9896

A modest red, with dried strawberry and ripe plum fruit. Hints of smoke and herb appear on the balanced finish. Drink now. 50 cases imported.??–AN??Region: Italy / South / Sicily / Faro Select to Add