Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is an Italian DOC classification of a

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

( it, rosato) style wine made from the

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome b ...

grape in Italy's

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

wine region. The name () relates to the deep color the wine obtains from even very brief skin-contact with the highly pigmented skins of the Montepulciano grapes.

History

In Abruzzo, ''cerasuolo'' has always referred to the rosé style of wine made in the region. It has been produced under the rules of the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC since it was established in 1968, and in 2010 it was promoted to its own separate ''Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo'' DOC. The term ''cerasuolo'' can also refer to

Cerasuolo di Vittoria Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a dry red Italian wine from a region around the ''comune'' of Vittoria, Sicily. The only wine with DOCG status in Sicily, it is made from a blend of two Sicilian grape varieties, Nero d'Avola (locally known as ''Calabrese' ...

, an unrelated

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 ...

dry red wine from

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

made from

Nero d'Avola Nero d'Avola (; 'Black of Avola' in Italian) is "the most important red wine grape in Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , ...

and Frappato.

Winemaking and viticulture

Cerasuolo is made in the ''rosato'' style using the same DOC composition rules as the red wines of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: at least 85%

, and the remainder

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...

or other local varieties. Finished Cerasuolo wines must have a minimum alcohol level of 12%, and be released no earlier than the 1st of January of the year following vintage (about 2–3 months of bottle age). For wines marked ''Superiore'', the minimum alcohol is higher at 12.5% and the earliest release date is 1st of March in the year following vintage (about 4–5 months of bottle age). The DOC includes the same restrictions on vineyard elevation as the Montepulciano DOC: no higher than above sea level, or for vineyards on south-facing slopes.

Sensory properties

According to Bastianich, Cerasuolo tend to be a darker red colour than typical rosé wines from France or other regions of Italy, more intense, medium-bodied, with aromas of orange peel,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

, strawberry and dried cherries.

References

External links

* Italian Wine Central
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
{{wines Italian DOC Cuisine of Abruzzo Wines of Abruzzo