April 17th-Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, as mentioned last week, is a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato. It has the only DOCG designation in Sicily. By law, the final wine must contain 50-70% Nero d’Avola and 30-50% Frappato. Nero d’Avola is the most planted red grape in Sicily, where it thrives in the heat. The warm sun exposure helps ripen the high level of tannins. Nero d’Avola wines are also commonly deeply colored. Frappato, as mentioned last week, contributes strawberry, herbal and floral aromas to the final blends. The grapes are grown on iron rich, red sandy soils. This soil retains enough water for the vine but is also free draining. This limits vigor and decreases disease pressure.If the yields of Nero d’Avola are controlled, it can produce concentrated wines that undergo barrel aging and can be bottle aged after purchase. Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG can’t be released until the end of March 2 years after the grapes are harvested, but many are released later. If the wine is aged longer, the cost of production increases. For comparison, in the photo, the Cerasuolo di Vittoria is on the left and Frappato is on the right. 

This week, I drank a 2018 Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG. This bottle was 60% Nero d’Avola and 40% Frappato. Cerasuolo is derived from ‘ceresa’, meaning ‘cherry’ in Italian. This medium ruby wine has aromas of ripe wild strawberries, red and black cherries, pomegranate, smoke, chalk, caraway, black pepper, and dark chocolate. This fuller bodied dry wine has a high acidity, medium alcohol, and a moderate level of ripe, well integrated tannins. The fruit notes lead on the front palate and are followed by the black pepper, caraway, chalk, and black pepper on the long finish. This wine has potential to increase in complexity with further bottle aging but is delicious now as well. The producer says this wine pairs well with pizza, but it would also be great with pork or chicken with a mushroom cream sauce. Would also be great with a mushroom risotto!