The Wine Club · Grape Discovery Masterclass

Frappato

Sicily’s lightest red. Completely misread.Sicily, Italy · 17th century — first documented in the Vittoria area of southeastern Sicily, where it remains most concentrated today

The Origin Story

Frappato is Sicily's answer to the question nobody thought to ask — what does a light, floral, high-acid red from the Mediterranean actually taste like? The grape has been grown in the Vittoria area of southeastern Sicily for at least three centuries, producing wines that bear almost no resemblance to the island's more famous dark, powerful reds.

Where Nero d'Avola is built for heat and concentration, Frappato is built for freshness — low tannins, high acidity, a pale ruby colour, and an aromatic profile of wild strawberry, violet, and fresh herbs that feels more Burgundian than Sicilian. It is best known internationally as the junior partner in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily's only DOCG, where it is blended with Nero d'Avola to add lift and fragrance to the latter's structure and depth.

On its own, as a single varietal, it is one of the most food-friendly and genuinely pleasurable light reds produced anywhere in Italy — a grape that rewards those willing to look past Sicily's reputation for power and find the elegance underneath.

Tasting Profile

BodyLightAcidityMedium

Wild StrawberryVioletPomegranateWhite PepperOregano

Frappato produces pale, light-bodied reds of unusual delicacy — wild strawberry and pomegranate on the nose with a violet floral lift, low tannins, bright natural acidity, and a fresh, clean finish with a subtle white pepper note.

It is not a grape that demands attention or rewards cellaring — it is a grape that delivers immediate, effortless pleasure at the table. Serve it slightly chilled and treat it the way you would a serious Pinot Noir: with food, with attention, and without the expectation of power.

In Comparison

If you like

Pinot Noir

Silky texture, red fruit, and a transparency that shows every decision made in the vineyard. Demands more from the winemaker than almost any other grape and rewards more from the drinker.

→

Try

Frappato

Pale ruby, crunchy red cherry, violet florals, and a finish so fresh it almost reads as white wine. Delicate in a way that very few reds attempt.

This is your chicken inasal wine. The crunchy red cherry fruit mirrors the char on the skin, the violet florals lift the lemongrass and annatto marinade, and the light body keeps everything bright through the whole bird. In Sicily they drink Frappato with grilled tuna — the same principle: a red light enough to work where most reds would overwhelm. Also exceptional with pork sisig, grilled liempo, and anything with a citrus-forward dipping sauce.