Frappato

Frappato is a light red from the south eastern corner of Sicily, around Vittoria, and it is the counterweight in the only DOCG the island has. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato, and the two grapes do opposite jobs: Nero d'Avola brings weight, colour and tannin, and Frappato brings perfume, freshness and lift.

On its own it is pale, low in tannin and high in aromatic intensity, smelling of strawberry, red cherry and wild herbs, with a peppery finish. It is served cool and drunk young, and the closest reference points are Beaujolais or a light Loire red rather than anything else in southern Italy. The sandy soils around Vittoria suit it, and the sea breeze keeps the nights cool.

It is grown almost nowhere else, and even in Sicily the plantings are modest. That local confinement is normal for the island's older varieties, but it has become a selling point rather than a limitation, because a light and fragrant red from a hot place is now something people actively look for.