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) at between 50% and 70%, with Frappato as the remainder. The DOCG rules also include regulation of cropping rates and a minimum alcohol level of 13%. Cerasuolo means "cherry red" and refers to the colour of the resulting blend of these grapes.[2]

Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Wine region
TypeDOCG
Year established2005 (DOC, 1973)
CountryItaly
Part ofSicily
Other regions in SicilyVittoria (DOC)
Sub-regionsClassico
Size of planted vineyards169 hectares (420 acres)[1]
Varietals producedNero d'Avola (50–70%),
Frappato (remainder)
Wine produced7,860 hectolitres (173,000 imp gal; 208,000 US gal)[1]

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.[3]

Viticulture and winemaking

Some makers of the wine, including one of the most prominent, mature the wine in terracotta amphorae rather than oak barrels in order to eliminate the influence of wood on the flavour of the wine.[4] The wine combines the fragrant, floral characters of Frappato with the full body and tannins from Nero d'Avola.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG". Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. "Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine". Wine-Searcher. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. "Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG". Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  4. "Cerasuolo di Vittoria and Pithos". COS Viticoltori in Vittoria. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. D'Agata, Ian (2014). "Frappato". Native Wine Grapes of Italy. University of California Press. pp. 293–294. ISBN 9780520272262.
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