WINE OF THE WEEK - 2019 Planeta Frappato Vittoria — Wine It Up A Notch

I’m an Italian wine lover through and through, it’s so true. If you hang around this blog long enough, or hang out with me on Instagram or Tiktok, you’ll know that I constantly gravitate towards Italian wine. Surely, in a past life, I was Italian!

All this to say that I know my way around Italian wines and indigenous Italian grape varieties. This is mostly because I snap up every new bottle of wine or interesting blend that I see so I can try it, learn about it and then share my thoughts with others. Being so deep in my wine studies with my WSET Diploma program about to start in two weeks time, I also really do need to buy and try as many wines as possible to supplement my theoretical textbook study and boost my (wine) tasting skills.

So, this week, I jumped at the chance to (re)try a Frappato. You see, you don’t get a lot of Frappato in my part of the world so I really can’t say that it’s a grape variety that I know all that well….or at least, one that I could stand to know more about. If you’re here reading this, I would hazard a guess that you might be in the same boat :)

Since this is not a “Wine Grape Basics” post, we’ll only look briefly at what Frappato is and then review the specific wine I had a chance to try.

And with that, let’s get right into this week’s wine pick!

2019 Planeta Frappato Vittoria

This week’s wine comes from Italy, more specifically the majestic island of Sicily. Oh how I would love to visit here some day soon. There are some delicious wines being made in Sicily and a lot of innovation and upgrading of style is also taking place here. This week’s wine is a solid example of what some of the best producers in Sicily are playing around with and offering to the global marketplace.

What does this wine cost?

$22.95

What in the (wine) world is Frappato?

Frappato is a dark red skinned grape that is thought to be indigenous to the southern part of Sicily, Italy. It has been found to be genetically similar to Sangiovese (the superstar of Tuscany) and Gaglioppo from Calabria. Its taste and aroma profile is more similar to the latter.

According to the book Wine Grapes, Frappato was first mentioned in 1760 in Vittoria, a town located in the province of Ragusa, which is located in the south of Sicily.

Today, Frappato continues to be cultivated primarily in the province of Ragusa. That said, it is not planted in mass quantities and is most commonly used as a blending partner for other grapes such as Nero D’Avola and Nerello Mascalese. It is quite rare to find it as a single varietal as is the case in this week’s pick.

Where does this wine come from?

As noted above, this wine comes from the province of Ragusa, and more specifically a small, historically significant town called Vittoria, in southern Sicily.

Vittoria is a recognized denomination (DOC) under Italian laws and an important source of wine and olive oil. While the province of Ragusa is located along the sea, Vittoria is somewhat inland and is situated almost at sea level.

Why is this wine unique?

Well, you just don’t see a lot of 100% Frappato outside of Italy, or maybe even only Sicily! This is what makes this bottle so unique in my view.

Who makes this wine?

This wine is made by Planeta, which is one of Sicily’s most significant and most historic wine producers. Eighteen generations in, Planeta is still a family run winery with deep respect for and knowledge of their land and its potential. They make delicious and highly regarded wines. If you’re interested, click here to read a different Wineitupanotch blog post which reviews another one of Planeta’s noteworthy wines, the Planeta Plumbago Nero D’Avola.

Click here to learn more about Planeta.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Grape Varieties - 100% Frappato

Soil types - red sand

First vintage - 2013

Vinification - fermented and matured in stainless steel tank

ABV - 12%

Residual Sugar - 3 g/L

My tasting notes:

A light ruby in the glass, this wine did display tinges of purple flecks. It has a very inviting nose filled with red berries, crysanthemum and smoky flint aromas. On the palate, the wine is bright and fruity and feels fairly light in body, and yet it has a density and complexity to it that is interesting. The palate delivers a savoury backdrop that is set against fresh red fruit flavour and the slightest hint of candy. The smoke and earth notes in this wine will intrigue even the staunchest complex red wine lovers!

Aging potential:

Drink now or within a year.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

Enjoy this wine with pasta, sausages, roasted root vegetables, pizza or soft shell tacos filled with seasoned ground chicken meat.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 90 points

A very cool, “off the grid” wine that provides the opportunity to dabble in something rare and unique. The wine is not weighty but does have nuance to it.

FINAL VERDICT:

This wine is worth buying for the novelty. It also happens to taste delicious and is made by a quality producer. I think this is an excellent dinner party wine.

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, I’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop me a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine!……

Cheers…..XOXO