L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano How to spell Frappato T h e h e a d o f t h e t r a f f i c s n a k e p u s h e s o u t f r o m Boston, slowly squirming its way westbound along the Massachusetts Turnpike deep into the Pilgrim state. Rain continues to pour down in amounts that, judging from the inability of my car's wind- shield wipers to clear away the deluge, German engineers had never imagined. Arriving home just in time to reward the family dog's contri- bution to my already frustrating day, I deposit a footprint in that welcome home gift left on my path into the house. Back outsi- de, while scraping off my shoe, I s i m u l t a n e o u s l y c o n t e m p l a t e home life without a pet and the bottle of Frappato I know to be waiting in the cellar. Distracted from the reverie by uncertainty a s t o t h e c o r r e c t s p e l l i n g o f Frappato, I go inside to investi- gate. As wine market attention con- tinues to bend away from big, o a k y w i n e s o f i m p e n e t r a b l e color toward better appreciation of lighter-bodied, lighter hued wines of finesse and elegance, Frappato, I suspect, will be more and more on the radar. A native Italian wine grape that grows primarily in Sicily, Frappato does especially well in the commune of Vittoria located in the territory of Ragusa. One of Sicily's oldest grape varieties, Frappato has played an impor- tant role as blending partner to N e r o D ' A v o l a , c o n t r i b u t i n g smooth softness, perfume, fresh- ness and acidity to the blend. The wine known as Cerasulo di Vittoria DOCG, which by law a l l o w s 5 0 - 7 0 p e r c e n t N e r o d ' A v o l a a n d 3 0 - 5 0 p e r c e n t Frappato, is a great example. Although Cerasuolo di Vittoria wines are often thought of as 'Nero D'Avola' wines, bottlings u s i n g h i g h e r p e r c e n t a g e s o f Frappato in the blend tend to s h o w m o r e p e r s o n a l i t y o f Frappato than I can find of Nero D ' A v o l a . T h a t i s t o s a y , t h e more Frappato in the blend, the less big-bodied the wines seem t o b e , i n s t e a d l e a n i n g m o r e toward gracefulness. The lightness of Frappato isn't completely due to varietal character alone. Where Frappato is grown in soil with very high sand content, say Salmè, for example, wines tend to be lighter and more delicate, as opposed to, say, Valle dell'Acate, where more clay in the soil gives wines a fuller body. As a side bar, and to prevent a n y m i x u p , l e t u s n o t e t h a t Cerasuolo di Vittoria is not to be c o n f u s e d w i t h C e r a s u o l o d'Abruzzo, i.e., Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a red wine and not a rosato. In the case of the Vittoria wine, the name Cerasuolo deri- ves from the word cerasa, mea- ning cherry, a nod to that wine's cherry perfume. On its own, Frappato has something of a delicate nature which, at times, has been a point of criticism for the variety. But, reaching this conclusion would depend much upon one's point of reference, if not preference. In my opinion, Frappato's deli- cate personality translates to characterful charm, good reason for the growing enthusiasm for the variety in market that is ready … finally … to appreciate the subtle beauty of refinement. In case you would like to opt for a higher impact Frappato experience, do look for monova- r i e t a l b o t t l i n g s o f Frappato under IGT or Vittoria DOC desi- gnations. In monovarietal bot- tlings, you should find Frappato to make pale red wines that are light to medium in body, with vivid notes of cherry, straw- berry, violets and herbs. Good sources for these include produ- c e r A r i a n n a O c c h i p i n t i , h e r uncle Giusto Occhipinti of COS winery and the excellent produ- cer Valle dell'Acate. Wines made from Frappato are generally intended to be drunk sooner than later, up to three years from vintage, althou- gh I am hearing that monovarie- tal bottlings can further improve with medium term aging. At table, Frappato wines pair deli- ciously with a wide variety of dishes and cuisines. Frappato's tannins, while quite present, are light enough to make it especial- ly good red wine company with fish. W i n e s o f i n t e r e s t w o u l d include Arianna Occhipinti's S P 6 8 ( t a s t i n g n o t e b e l o w ) , n a m e d f o r t h e s t a t e r o a d o n which her winery is located, a blend of 70% Frappato and 30% Nero d'Avola. And don't forget her above mentioned wine pro- d u c e d f r o m 1 0 0 % Frappato known simply as Il Frappato. Other excellent examples can be had from Paolo Cali, and again, COS and Valle dell'Acate. After dinner, the rain lets up, easing its pounding on the roof. The dog is attentive to the quiet filling the room. Tilts her head, listens acutely. Our eyes meet for an instant, but she looks ner- vously away. Her expression asks "Still mad at me?" I swal- low the last of the wine and pet her on the head. Tasting Note Occhipinti SP68 Elegant and classy, this wine stirs the emotions with fantasti- cally fresh cherry, strawberry, tart pomegranate, notes of cinna- mon and herb underlined by delicious acidity. A native Italian wine grape that grows primarily in Sicily, Frappato does especially well in the territory of Ragusa WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES JOEL MACK THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 On its own, Frappato has something of a delicate nature, which, at times, has been a point of criticism for the variety

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