Combining the Syrah-like Nero d’Avola with the racy, featherweight, strawberry scented Frappato, Cerasuolo di Vittoria offers many of the same sensations as a good Etna red: brambly fruit and floral aromatics in a plush, medium-bodied package. Because of the “di” in the name, some consumers might be tempted to think of Cerasuolo as a grape name (as in the Cerasuolo grape “of” Vittoria, like Barbera d’Asti or Sangiovese di Romagna), but in this case it refers to the style (“cherry-like”) of the wine produced. Vittoria is the anchor town in the zone, where the soils are referred to as terra rosa: reddish, sandy clays with a strata of limestone underneath.
COS was founded in 1980 by three friends who went into wine initially as a lark, but who are as responsible as anyone for putting the Cerasuolo di Vittoria appellation on the map (it was elevated to DOCG status in 2005, making it the only DOCG-designated zone in Sicily). Justly proud of their natural-winemaking credentials, acquired over decades of experimentation, COS’ Giusto Occhipinti (uncle of Vittoria wünderkind Arianna) and Giambattista Cilia have become widely known for their use of terracotta amphorae for some wines, although in the case of this Classico they opt for a mix of cement tanks and large oak botti for fermentation and aging. The blend is 60% Nero d’Avola and 40% Frappato, which are vinified and aged separately at first, then combined for a further 6 months’ refinement in bottle before release.
Although this wine is always very approachable when young, we very much enjoyed the evolution of this back-vintage bottling: the cherry fruit has deepened and broadened into something almost kirsch-like, without turning jammy, while the tangy, bright notes of the Frappato (citrus peel, fresh cut strawberry) keep it lifted. On spying the super-saturated, dark ruby color we were expecting a chunkier, more extracted wine, but it’s amazing how the Frappato (acid, energy) and Nero d’Avola (fruit, color) play off one another to create a coherent, medium-bodied whole that captures the essence of both. That sum-of-its-parts sensation doesn’t always happen in blends, so it’s always fun to experience it!
At this point we’d say this wine has reached its peak and it ready to go – it is luscious and softly tannic, requiring maybe a half-hour or so in a decanter before serving close to cellar temperature in Burgundy stems. The warmth and soft texture of the wine, combined with its bright acidity, brings a classic Sicilian late-summer dish to mind:
Caponata! Here’s one you might actually get in Ragusa, one of the Vittoria zone’s best-known towns.
