Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Italian wine
Wine type DOCG
Decree of institution September 2005
(DOC inst. 29 March 1973)
Gazzetta Ufficiale 26 September 2005 Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 224
Yield 70 quintals/ha
Maximum grape yield 65%
Alcohol by volume of grape (natural) 12.5%
Alcohol by volume of wine (minimum) 13%
Net dry extract (minimum) 27 g/l
Origin Sicily; a large area including Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania.
Ingredient grapes Nero d'Avola: 50% – 70%
Frappatto: 30% – 50%

Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the only Italian DOCG wine from Sicily. The DOCG rules govern a dry secco red wine, 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 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.[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.[2]

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.[3] The wine combines the floral character of Frappato with the body and tannins from Nero d'Avola.

References

  1. ↑ "Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine". Wine-Searcher. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG". Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Cerasuolo di Vittoria and Pithos". COS Viticoltori in Vittoria. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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