Sicily is an emerging wine region of Italy.

Given that Piedmont, Veneto and Tuscany already have a strong international reputation, and that high quality wines are produced in what could be called, from a geographical point of view, their “extensions” (Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Umbria), Sicily is gaining increasing reputation among international wine lovers, not only for the quality of the wines it is producing but also for their uniqueness.

Frappato is one of the rare, local vine varieties that made on this hot Mediterranean island a rising star in the wine firmament.

What is Frappato? Is it a variety or a wine?

Frappato is a red variety, which is responsible for some of Sicily’s most delicious unknown wines. Grown in the province of Ragusa, especially in the countryside around Vittoria and around Syracuse, in southern Sicily. It seems to perform best when grown on red sandy-calcareous soils such as those of
 the Vittoria area; one grand cru area for Frappato is between Pedalino and Acate; another is Bastonaca.

From the genetic point of view, it is believed to have a parent-offspring relationship between Frappato and Sangiovese, and that Frappato is a sibling of the Gaglioppo variety of Calabria.

What is Frappato used for?

Frappato is famous for being one of the two varieties - the other being Nero d’Avola - that can be used to produce Cerasuolo di Vittoria, the only DOCG wine in Sicily.

Not many people know that Frappato is also used to produce a single variety wine that bears the same name and that is surprisingly enjoyable, thanks to its quite light body, pretty unusual for a wine made at certain latitudes, and its pleasant flavors of soft, ripe red fruits. Its delicately tannic personality means you can also lightly chill it.

Best Frappatos are counter balanced by a good level of acidity, which makes them pretty fresh and drinkable, especially when paired with Sicilian savory cheeses and complex fish preparations.

What does the name Frappato mean?

As we are accustomed to see when it’s about Italian wines and vine varieties, their names speak, and their meanings address distinctive peculiarities they have.

Frappato” allegedly comes from the word “frappa” (whose etymology should be probably sought in ancient French frape), that means “frill”, “ruffle”, “ruffling edge of a dress”, and is referred to the shape of its grapes, which are pretty sparse and decisively winged.

 

Quality wines to Try:

Paolo Cali

Valle dell’Acate

COS

Unknown

“The largest event dedicated to the world of wine: business, internationalization and training” - so it is told to be Vinitaly by its own organizers on the website’s event, and so it is, at least for Italy.

In 2016, Vinitaly celebrates its 50th edition, and Italy celebrates this goal with a dedicated stamp, meaning that this fair is not for wine lovers only.

Wine, indeed, plays a pivotal role in Italy’s agricultural economy, and promoting quality wine production and consolidating reputation of Italian wines is something Italy must bet on.

When it Started

The exhibition first took place in 1967, but was quite different from the fair we see nowadays.

At the beginning it just consisted of a series of conferences, and we had to wait until 1969 for the first 130 winemakers to exhibit their wines.

In 1978 Vinitaly becomes “international” and exhibitors from outside of Italy started to take part in it.

During the Eighties and the Nineties the fair takes its present shapes: collateral, smaller fairs on olive oil and on spirits are held and prizes for wines and - later - for packages are established.

For Whom

Vinitaly is meant to be a “business to business” event, because only wine professionals are allowed, but being that this definition pretty broad, it results in about 150.000 participants visiting the fair every year. They are wholesalers and distributors, retailers (wine stores, wine bars, restaurants, catering, hotels…), sommeliers, bar tenders, wine makers, enologist and technicians, wine and trade journalists, and, obviously, authorities and institutions.

Such diversity of visitors makes Vinitaly a quite popular fair, both because professional standards can sometimes be a little lower than wished, and because each visitor can become an evangelist of the tasted wines, really giving exhibitors’ business a boost.

And What

Vinitaly, however, is not just a mere exhibition of the wines of about 4.000 winemakers, in which more or less experienced wine professionals try to drink as much wine as they can for the entrance fee (which is € 80 for one day, or € 120 for four days, with a further rebate of € 5 if purchased online here: http://www.vinitaly.com/en/Ticket-and-coupon/).

It’s a larger project that nowadays consists in a rich calendar of events and conferences organized and held by the same exhibitors and taking place continuously throughout the duration of the fair. There is also a conference whose title dares to be “Wine as a health food”.

5 Stars Wines and prizes

Wine exhibiting also means wine tasting, and Vinitaly is the occasion to compare wines and elect the ones that best represents today’s taste.

Prior to the exhibition itself, in the town of Verona as well, the Vinitaly International Wine Award 2016 will take place.

2016 news is that the prize system changes: no more medals, but a clear, understandable score from 1 to 100 points. Only the wines that will reach the score of 90 points will be classified as 5 Stars Wines.

Yet, not only the wines receive prizes in Vinitaly.

In 1996 a prize for persons or companies that stood out in promoting wine culture was established, and it was given to journalists like Monica Larner (who won it twice as a “young journalist” and a third time just as a journalist) and the Lifestyle Food channel star and head sommelier at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Matt Skinner.

Unknown

Among Italian wine region, Tuscany surely deserves a special place, thanks to the several top quality cellars producing long lasting, full-bodied, renowned red wines.

One of the wines that made the myth of Tuscan wine is Brunello di Montalcino, which also is, together with Barolo from Piedmont, the most long-living Italian wine, as it can age for decades.

What is Brunello made of?

Until the XIX century, Brunello di Montalcino was thought to be produced from an autochthonous, unique, grape variety, but in 1879 a group of scientists found out that it was a clone of Sangiovese.

The wrong belief about the uniqueness of the variety from which Brunello is made from was probably due to the particular expression Sangiovese has in the area. Local special climate and soil, in other words, give the grapes a character they don’t get elsewhere.

Brunello di Montalcino, indeed, is made of 100% Sangiovese and no other grape variety is allowed in its production, therefor its roundness, complexity and variety of aromas all come from a fully developed single kind of grape.

Where is Brunello produced?

As its same name says, Brunello comes from Montalcino, a medieval small town in the province of Siena, by the border with the province of Grosseto. This means that Montalcino lies in the southern part of Tuscany, only 200 kilometers to the north of Rome and only 40 kilometers as the crow flies from the Mediterranean Sea.

Which are the main Brunello di Montalcino production guidelines?

Brunello is a DOCG wine, which is the highest level for an Italian wine. Yet, it is a relatively recent DOGC wine, as the wine received the “denominations” in 1998.

According to its production guidelines, grapes from which Brunello di Montalcino will be made must come from vineyards growing on slopes only, and on soils that can be dated back between Cretaceous and Pliocene ages.

The maximum allowed altitude is 600 meters on sea level and any forcing is forbidden, including rescue irrigation.

Brunello must age for at least 24 months in oak barrels - no matter their size, there’s no need for them to be actual barriques - and then at least four months in bottle (that become six if it is Brunello “Riserva”) before being marketed.

Brunello di Montalcino can only be marketed after January the 1^st of the fifth year after the harvest (the sixth when it’s about “Riserva”). This means that wines from grapes harvested in Fall 2015 will be sold from January 1^st 2020 on.

What is Brunello di Montalcino Riserva?

As it happens with many DOCG wines, according to production guidelines, it is forbidden to put on Brunello bottles misleading labels, for instance containing adjectives that somehow suggest a special, superior quality, like, indeed, “superior”, “selected”, “fine”, “aged”, “picked” and so on.

When we se the word “Riserva” on a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, it means that that bottle comes from a special reserve, allowed and guaranteed by law, that aged longer in bottle.

With which dishes should be paired Brunello di Montalcino?

Brunello has a wide, composite and complex bouquet, as well as full and elegant body.

This makes of it a perfect wine to be tasted alone, too, but it is traditionally paired with intense-flavored meat dishes, even with those dressed with truffle, and with tasty, aged cheeses, especially the pungent ones produced in Tuscany and Umbria.

Suggested Producers:

Altesino BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO D.O.C.G. RISERVA

San Polo BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVAPoggio 

Antico Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. Riserva

Unknown