Frappato

The origin of this variety is uncertain and could have been introduced in ancient times from Spain (where there are similar species), or it might be a vine native of the town of Vittoria (now in the province of Ragusa, but that once belonged to the territory of Syracuse), in which it was cultivated by the seventeenth century, and where it still contributes-along with the Nero d'Avola-the formation of the only DOCG of the island, the Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The name comes from the fact that the bunches are very tight, ("frappati" in dialect). It is a vine grown with a system of small trees and short pruning, it has a medium vigor and large leaves, medium to large, cylindrical and compact bunches, medium-sized and spheroidal grapes, from the waxy skin, thick and leathery.

Wines