APPARENTLY, or so the theory goes, the Italian Mafia originated in Sicily in the mid-19th Century to protect the orange and lemon estates around the city of Palermo.

It had something to do with a growing demand in the western world for citrus fruits after it was discovered they helped to prevent scurvy.

A combination of high profits, rubbish police, low level of trust and widespread poverty made lemon producers a target for criminals, so citrus farmers hired "private security providers" to protect themselves and also to arrange intermediaries between retailers and exporters in the harbours.

Oranges and lemons, of course, need specific requirements for cultivation, such as certain temperatures throughout the year and enough water, and this Italian island had all those factors, already making it a leading exporter of such citrus fruit.

But what has all this got to do with wine?

Well, not much really, although grapes of course also need certain requirements to grow well, and the Mafia probably got involved with winemakers too.

One such wine which clearly benefits from the weather there is The Society’s Sicilian Reserve Red 2013, which currently retails at a bargain £8.25 via The Wine Society.

This drink is made by Feudo Arancio, in the south of Sicily, using Nero D'Avola grapes from the Ragusa and Agrigento regions, where the Mediterranean climate, tempered by cooling coastal breezes, produces rich, characterful, full-bodied red wines.

This one is partly aged in French oak barrels with a further 12 months’ maturation in bottle before release, with the end result being a smooth, generous and mellow red, and lots of flavour for the price.

The Wine Society’s “Society” wines, by the way, are standard-bearers for the organisation, as are its “Exhibition” wines, which likewise are almost always excellent examples of their type and usually retail for lower prices than tipples of arguably similar standard.

Among the Exhibition range is a Limari Chardonnay 2016, costing £9.95, which is made for The Society by Concha Y Toro.

Limari, in Chile, has a cool climate and limestone-rich soils which make for a uniquely fresh, firm and aromatic style of Chardonnay.

Barrel-fermentation adds a touch of richness but it does not mask the minerality at play, the result being a mouth-watering Chilean white wine which, like many reds, opens up even more after decanting.