Frappato

Frappato is Sicily's lightest and most perfumed red, grown in the south-eastern corner of the island around Vittoria on red sandy soils over limestone.

It gives a pale, translucent wine with an aromatic intensity out of all proportion to its weight: wild strawberry, red cherry, violet, rose petal and a distinct note of dried herbs and orange peel. Tannins are very low, acidity is bright, and alcohol is moderate by Sicilian standards. It is a red that works chilled, which in a hot climate is a considerable practical advantage.

Its formal role is in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily's only DOCG, where it is blended with Nero d'Avola in a proportion between thirty and fifty per cent. The combination is a good one — Nero d'Avola brings colour, body and dark fruit, Frappato brings perfume and lift — and the resulting wine is more interesting than either grape alone.

Bottled as a single variety it is increasingly popular with producers and drinkers looking for lighter, fresher reds, and it has become one of the more fashionable Italian grapes of the last decade.

DNA has shown it to be a natural offspring of Sangiovese, which is a surprise given how little the two resemble each other in the glass.

The comparison to Pinot Noir is frequently made. It is fair on colour, weight and perfume, and misleading on everything else — Frappato is warmer, more floral and considerably less earthy.