Black grape

Frappato

Synonyms — Frappato di Vittoria, Nero Capitano

Parentage — A perfumed native red of south-eastern Sicily, around Vittoria

  • red cherry
  • strawberry
  • rose
  • white pepper
  • herbs
Budbreak
Mid-season
Maturity
Late; light in colour and tannin
Leaf
Medium, orbicular, three to five lobes
Bunch
Medium, cylindrical-conical, fairly loose
Berry
Medium, round, blue-black; thin skin

The most fragrant of Sicily's native reds, Frappato is a pale, light, intensely perfumed grape — all red cherry, wild strawberry and rose petal, with a lively freshness rare in the hot south. It rarely stands alone: its classic role is to lift and perfume the sturdier Nero d'Avola in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily's only DOCG.

Chillable, low in tannin and irresistibly drinkable, Frappato has become a darling of the natural-wine world for its bright, transparent charm. It is the delicate, floral counterpoint to Sicily's darker, weightier reds.

In the blend

Share of this grape in a typical blend of each wine

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 5The Monastic Middle Ages — 20Exploration & the Fortified Age — 30Classifications & the Golden Age — 35Phylloxera & the World Crises — 35The Modern & New World Era — 60Antiquity5500150017001875195060