Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a dry red
Italian wine
Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...
from a region around the ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of
Vittoria, Sicily
Vittoria () is a town and in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. With its 64,212 inhabitants, Vittoria is the second most populated municipality of the province after Ragusa.
History
Vittoria is the youngest town in the province and ...
. The only wine with
DOCG
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”),
* ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...
status in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, it is made from a blend of two Sicilian grape varieties,
Nero d'Avola
Nero d'Avola (; 'Black of Avola' in Italian) is "the most important red wine grape in Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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(locally known as ''Calabrese'') at between 50% and 70%, with
Frappato
Frappato di Vittoria or Frappato is a red Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in Sicily. As a varietal, Frappato produces light bodied wines with a distinct grapey aroma. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 1 ...
as the remainder. The DOCG rules also include regulation of cropping rates and a minimum alcohol level of 13%. means "cherry red" and refers to the colour of the resulting blend of these grapes.
History
The denomination was first created as a DOC in 1973, and upgraded to DOCG status in 2005, the first awarded in Sicily. The large region delineated in the DOCG definition is the same as the Vittoria DOC, which has less strict rules on cropping, ageing, and grape blends, and includes a white wine made from
Ansonica.
Viticulture and winemaking
Some makers of the wine, including one of the most prominent, mature the wine in terracotta
amphora
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
e rather than oak
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s in order to eliminate the influence of wood on the flavour of the wine.
The wine combines the fragrant, floral characters of Frappato with the full body and tannins from Nero d'Avola.
[{{Cite book , title=Native Wine Grapes of Italy , first=Ian , last=D'Agata , chapter=Frappato , pages=293–294 , date=2014 , publisher=]University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, isbn=9780520272262
See also
*
List of Italian DOCG wines
References
Italian DOCG
Wines of Sicily