Vino Lauria Frappato

What is Frappato? Is it a baseball term? Is it a type of coffee drink? In French to “frapper” means hit, but in this case it is an Italian red grape varietal indigenous to Sicily, mainly found in Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG. Up until recently Frappato was a blending grape with Nero D’Avola but is now being made as a single varietal. Frappato is also known as Surra and Nero Capitano. The grape does very well in hot, dry conditions. It has a light color wine, very fragrant strawberry, violet and dried herbs, medium bodied, fresh and fruity wine meant to be drunk young

Vino Lauria is located in FiàNobile vineyard in the Vittoria region. The soils are made up clay & calcareous soils with gentle breezes from the hills around Alcamo. The winemaker Vito Lauria is the gatekeeping of his grandfather’s traditions while using modern wine practices, organic and environmentally conscious practices in order to meet evolving demands of the modern consumer. They creatively bring out the unique characteristics of rarer grapes and even rarer blends, with a deep wisdom of winemaking and knowledge of the land.

This particular wine was fermented at cool temperatures of 60°F for 12 days and then further aged for 8 months ins stainless steel tanks. Vino Lauria Frappato 2017 is a pale ruby color with intense aromas of strawberry, cranberry, violet, cloves and dried herbs. The palate has a medium-crisp acidity, medium tannins and flavors of strawberry, violets, red currant, cranberry, blueberry, cloves, white pepper, sage, earthy balsamic and tomato leaf. It is a fresh, vibrant wine meant to be drunk now.

Pair with your next Thanksgiving meal of stuffed turkey breast with cranberry compote, roast ham with cranberry glaze.

Available locally in RI at Grapes & Gourmet for $16