​From the mists of time, the Nocera wine grape beckons.  Made into deeply colored wines that swirl with high acidity, balanced alcohol and soft round tannins, they are complex and intriguing.  Once a favorite of Roman nobility and emperors, Nocera’s heyday seemed to have past, until today.  Across the island of Sicily, indigenous vines from antiquity have been given new life, in a modern day wine renaissance.  Cambria Vini has embraced their viticultural heritage, producing a variety of Nocera wines that offer a fascinating taste of future past, a fresh elegance and characterful palate that weaves a spell in its different incarnations.

Nocera vineyards at Cambria Estate, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

Nino Pelleriti showed us their ode to their historical roots, a 2011 library bottle, which illustrates Cambria's link to the past and the importance of the greyhound to the brand

​The story of Nocera is an ancient one, dating back to the 7th Century BC, when Greek colonists first arrived in Sicily, bringing the vine with them.  Throughout the waves of invaders and traders that subsequently came to Sicily’s shores, wine became the currency of connection for all these cultures, and Nocera wines played a big part.  Their legendary “Mamertinum” wines were drunk by legions of fans from Roman times.  Praised and admired as one of the finest wines of the time, Mamertinum allegedly was the favorite wine of the famed Roman emperor Julius Caesar.  This fabled wine slowly faded in importance over the centuries, and the Nocera grape’s vineyard acreage shrank, yielding to Nerello Mascalese and other international varietals in modern times.  Mainly found today in the Province of Messina, in the north-eastern corner of Sicily, Nocera is a high quality red grape, mostly used for blending.  That is until Cambria Vini bet big on its unique potential.

Nino Cambria, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

The "Fin Che Venga" coat of arms

The legend of the greyhound, the artwork depicted here is found on Cambria's Rosso del Levriero wine, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

Cambria's Furnari Hills vineyard estate location, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

Modern technology coaxes the best expression out of the ancient Nocera grape, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

(L-R) Brothers Cambria run the family business, Franco is the Production Manager, and Nino is the General Manager, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

Nino Cambria, General Manager and fourth generation winemaker, has brought new life to Cambria Vini.  Along with his brother, Franco, who serves as the Production Manager, they've incorporated Nocera into their wine production.  Cambria is a family-owned and run winery with a long history in Messina, established in 1864 by his great grandfather Matteo.  At the same time, the Cambria family also acquired the “Fin Che Venga” coat of arms, which translates as “until it comes”.  Six vineyard estates, over 87 acres in the Furnari Hills in the heart of the Mamertino DOC, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and Aeolian Islands, are the perfect cradle for these Sicilian native varietals.  Here, a combination of near perfect weather, sunny island breezes, a mosaic of diverse soils, and higher elevations provide a Goldilocks moment, culminating in perfectly ripe fruit.  Starting in 1989, Cambria made changes to their marketing and production, followed by significant investments in a state of the art winemaking facility.  Nino formulated a recipe for Cambria’s business plan, the three “Ts”: Tradition, Territory and Technology.  Nino felt that by using modern methods of production to coax the best expression from grapes that were native to his vineyards, he would unlock the secret of success.

Then in 2005, the real revolution took place, when Nocera was reintroduced to the Mastronicola Estate, in these ancient Furnarese hills.  Cambria’s limestone-infused vineyards provided the perfect environment for Nocera to once again flourish, with the first harvest in 2009.  Currently Cambria has over 17 acres planted to Nocera, of its 50 acres of vineyards, with plans to add another seven acres over time.

(L-R) Commercial Manager Nino Pelleriti, yours truly Patricia Decker, and General Manager/Owner Nino Cambria

Nino Cambria

Cambria Winery, Courtesy of Cambria Vini

Nino Pelleriti toured us through Cambria's modern winery

Nino Pelleriti in Cambria's cellar room

Recently, I traveled to Sicily and visited Cambria’s winery and vineyards, standing in the rolling hills, amid the wild rows of vines overlooking the sea.  Nino Pelleriti, Commercial Manager, was my guide and translator, as I met Nino Cambria in his storied Nocera vineyard.  Channeling his family’s legacy and Sicily’s milennia of wine making, Nino Cambria is certainly the flame to the fire.  Passionate about the land, he feels technology has played a major part in resurrecting Nocera.  His winery, located about 10 minutes away, is a modern marvel, allowing Cambria to be totally self-contained in their winemaking process, from vine to bottle.  The winery’s design flows as the wine, in addition to the production facilities, a central gallery accesses their cellar, tasting room and historical museum.  Outside the entrance, vines of over 20 grape varietals that grow in the surrounding vineyards are on display, demonstrating their differences.  Cambria makes six Nocera wines, divided equally between 100% pure and blended, in three forms, sparkling, still and dessert wine.  Nino Pelleriti explained that Nocera’s high level of alcohol and acidity allows Cambria to make sparkling wines and sweet wines, in addition to the traditional still wines.

November 2022, Cambria Vini comes to Los Angeles

Nino Pelleriti presents the Nocera wines of Cambria, November 2022

Tasting me through the Nocera wines, it was my second chance to experience the modern mystique of this grape.  The first time I tasted Nocera was in Los Angeles in November 2022, when Nino Pelleriti participated in a Sicilian winemaker dinner at Tesse Restaurant, “A Night in Sicily”, sponsored by the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce West, where he poured three of the six Nocera wines in their lineup.  Now, my Nocera journey is complete, sampling all six of Cambria’s wines.  My tasting notes, from both Los Angeles and Sicily:

The Cambria Fin Che Venga Brut Nocera Rosé, 100% Nocera, is produced in the classic method, bright and beautiful, with citrus, currant, orange blossom and toasted bread aromas, a fine bubble stream leads to persistent citrus flavors, framed by mineral, bitter almond and lightly tannic notes, fresh and delicate.

​The Cambria “Rosso del Levriero” Sicilia DOC, a 50/50 blend of Nocera and Syrah, is densely structured, smooth and rich with aromas of wild berries, dark cherry, black pepper, clove, leather, tobacco and dark chocolate, and a long persistent finish.  The label displays the legend of the wounded greyhound, whom strangers left with a local farmer to take care of after a hunting trip mishap.  Time passes and no one returns to pick up the dog, but the farmer continues to take excellent care of him, until one day when King Roger II returned for his dog.  To repay the farmer for his care and loyalty, the King gave him the title of Baron, and a parcel of land, passed down as the myth of Furnari.

​The Cambria Gulio Cesare Mamertino Rosso DOC, a 60/40 blend of Nero d’Avola and Nocera, is elegant, smooth and round, with aromas and flavors of ripe berries, sweet spice, tobacco, coffee and cocoa, exhibiting freshness on the long, savory finish.

​The Cambria Masseria delle Colline Furnaresi, a 70/30 blend of Nocera and Nerello Mascalese, is fresh, textured and mineral, with cherry, dark chocolate, black pepper, almond and Mediterranean herbal notes.

The Cambria Mastronicola Nocera, the “Gran Cru of the Furnari Hills”, is 100% pure, a dense and rich wine, soft with blackberry and blueberry fruit, earthy with nice acidity, and a long finish.

​The award-winning Cambria “Kio” Nocera Passito, 100% Nocera nectar, is a rich dessert wine, complex with its deep cherry fruit, blackberry jam and prunes, accented with dark chocolate caramel, vanilla and balsamic notes, velvety and persistent on the finish.

​In 2022, Cambria Vini was instrumental in creating a group of Nocera producers from this region, the “Consorzio di Mamertino”.  Fifteen cellars produce Mamertino DOC wine, and some of them produce Nocera.  There are only 75 acres of Nocera vines planted in the province of Messina, but the hope is that more producers will add to their Nocera vineyards, as word of mouth and critical accolades interest more wine lovers to buy these very unusual, and delicious wines.

Cambria’s Nocera wines are imported into the US, but if visiting Sicily, a tour and tasting can be arranged through the winery, http://cambriavini.com/wine-tour/ Contact [email protected]