From: Sicily, Italy
Varietal: Frappato
Taste: The fruit is beautifully fragrant, with intense notes of bilberry, raspberry, a smidge of ripe cranberry, pomegranate, and aromatic floral tones with those spice and tea-leaf notes gently reigning in the fruit on both the palate and nose. On the palate it remains fresh among the sweet and fine tannins, and the acidity lifts the fruity character up, giving depth and complexity to a wine whose weight is as light as a feather. It’s so, so cheerful and fresh; we reach for this wine year round. Think of it as the Pinot Noir alternative for any occasion, and just as food friendly (though of course, it’s great on its own too).
Pairing: Like many of the wines we’ve been introducing of late, Frappato pairs well with so many delicious meals. Roasted chicken, pastas, charcuterie, and dishes that include roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomato. It’ll be the cranberry to your turkey (or the lingonberry to a Swedish meatball), and pair just as effortlessly alongside risottos and any mushroom-based meal. Today, we’re sharing a recipe with a distinctive Mediterranean lean that’ll be the bees knees next to this versatile red. Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini, by Yewande Komolafe.
About this wine. Made entirely of Frappato grapes, planted in 2008, estate-grown in the parishes of Ponte and Fegotto, near Chiaramonte Gulfi. These vineyards are of reddish iron-rich sand interspersed with layers of clay, at about 280 meters (900 feet) above sea level; the climate is very hot but with cooler night-time temperature (which leads to better acidity in the grapes). The fruit is harvested in several passes, at moderate ripeness, normally around the middle of September; the grapes are lightly crushed and fermented at controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. Maceration is around two weeks. The wine is aged in stainless steel for 9 months before bottling.
The varietal. Frappato is an aromatic variety, unusual for a red grape. The wine is brilliant mid-red in color, with clear floral and berry/pomegranate fruit notes and some spice and tea-leaf on the nose and the palate. Very useful food wine; I pair this with many pasta dishes, fish, pork, and roast chicken. Amazing with grilled tuna, and a clear candidate for the Summer Red Wine Hall of Fame. I drink it slightly chilled, but then any good red wine should be drunk at the temperature of a cool cellar, not room temperature.
