Wine route
Strada del Vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria
1 day · 5 stops
Open the driveSicily · DOCG
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Sicily's Only DOCG, Where Nero d'Avola Meets Frappato
Sicily's only DOCG. It is also the one Italian wine name built on a partnership between two grapes that do opposite jobs. Nero d'Avola supplies colour, body and tannin. Frappato supplies perfume and lift. The rules insist on both. The wine comes from the Baroque south-east of the island.
10
Wines live now
£14-£70
Price range today
14
UK retailers
Decode the label
What the label tells you
One word on the front changes the ageing, the strength and the price.
On the label
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Sicily's only DOCG
From 1 June of the year after harvest
12.5% minimum alcohol
Cherry by name and by glass: Nero d'Avola's dark fruit lifted by Frappato's flowers, on sand over limestone.
In stock from £13.95 See the 5 bottles ↓On the label
Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico
the original zone, the patient release
From 31 March of the second year after harvest
First-decree land the 1973 boundary only
Same blend, older postcode, and nearly a year more patience before it may pour.
In stock from £20.50 See the 3 bottles ↓The boundary
Where it is
Everything on this page, the estates, the bottles, the sub-zones, sits inside this line.
Estate 1
Feudi del Pisciotto
Visit →Niscemi
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG zone
Estates you can visit Wine route in the zoneOutside the zone
The sandy plain and low hills where three provinces meet: Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania, with the town of Vittoria at the centre. Red sand over white limestone is the signature ground, and the Classico heart is the land of the first 1973 decree around Vittoria itself. It is warm, flat country by Sicilian standards, which is exactly why the rules lean on Frappato's freshness.
Inside the zone
3
Provinces
2005
Garantita since
8 t/ha
Maximum yield
30%
Frappato minimum
Click or tap a pin for its estate. The numbered pins match the estate cards below.
Towns worth knowing
Vittoria
Acate
Chiaramonte Gulfi
Gela
Vittoria names the wine; the zone reaches Gela on the Caltanissetta side and climbs towards Chiaramonte Gulfi.
In the glass
What it tastes like
Cherry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Violet
Rose petal
Plum
The disciplinare
The rules that define it
The same table on every denomination page, straight from the production rules.
Grape & its role
Share of the blend
050100%
Nero d'AvolaThe dark half, never alone50 to 70%FrappatoThe perfume, never optional30 to 50%Solid means the rules demand it. Striped means optional, up to that amount. The words on the right say the same rule.
The blend is mandatory in both directions Nero d'Avola may not exceed 70% and Frappato may not fall below 30.
Classico waits almost two years release from 31 March of the second year, against the normale's 1 June.
Sicily's only DOCG garantita since 2005, alone on the island at the top tier.
8 tonnes per hectare for both tiers with vineyards earning the badge only from their third year.
The name means cherry-red cerasa, the Sicilian cherry, names the colour the blend must pour.
Ageing and alcohol minimums per tier are in the label guide above.
Editor's cellar
Bottles to try, and what Cerasuolo di Vittoria costs in the UK
Every live Cerasuolo di Vittoria listing, cheapest to dearest
8 wines · 14 retailers
By style, today
Normale
from £13.95
Classico
from £20.50
Live prices, compared across 14 UK retailers.
Cellar doors · inside the zone
Estates you can visit
One estate inside the zone opens its doors today. A small list, honestly kept: only working cellars with confirmed visits appear here.
No estates match these filters. Clear a filter to see more.
One word for the old land
The mentions
A single additional mention exists: Classico, reserved for the territory of the first recognition decree around Vittoria, with its own later release date.
Classico
First-decree landThe historic heartland in the province of Ragusa: Vittoria, Comiso, Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Santa Croce Camerina and part of Ragusa.
Vintage provenance
Why there is no vintage chart
No denomination-wide vintage chart is published for Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The available sources review individual wines rather than rating the appellation year by year, so quality here is tracked producer by producer.
Frappato keeps it honest in hot years: buy young for perfume, or give a Classico three to six years.
What to check instead
The mention: where a wine comes from inside the zone changes what is in the glass. See them above.
The producer: quality here is tracked estate by estate rather than year by year.
How Cerasuolo di Vittoria is made
The blend is fixed by law: 50 to 70 per cent Nero d'Avola and 30 to 50 per cent Frappato. Neither grape may be left out. That makes it unusual among Italian denominations. Most of them name one dominant grape and allow the rest as optional seasoning. Nero d'Avola brings the dark fruit, the structure and the tannin. Frappato is pale, floral and low in tannin, and it lifts the blend into something scented and drinkable. The zone runs across three provinces in south-eastern Sicily. A Classico area marks the historic heartland, in the province of Ragusa around Vittoria, Comiso and Acate.
In depth
Cerasuolo di Vittoria was recognised as a DOC in 1973. A ministerial decree promoted it to DOCG on 13 September 2005. It is still the only DOCG in Sicily, which gives it a symbolic weight beyond its size. The island has dozens of denominations. This is the one the state singled out for the top tier.
The marked-out zone covers roughly 124,500 hectares across three provinces. In Ragusa it takes in Vittoria, Comiso, Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Santa Croce Camerina and part of Ragusa itself. In Caltanissetta it takes in parts of Niscemi, Gela, Riesi, Butera and Mazzarino. In Catania it takes in parts of Caltagirone, Licodia Eubea and Mazzarrone. The Classico name belongs to the historic core in Ragusa province. There the sandy soils and the sea breezes off the Channel of Sicily give the palest, most perfumed version of the blend.
The name comes from the Italian word for cherry. It describes the colour as much as the flavour. This is a bright, see-through red rather than a dark one. That is Frappato's doing. Bottled alone, Frappato makes one of Italy's lightest reds. Bottled alone, Nero d'Avola can be broad and slightly heavy. Together they give a wine that carries southern ripeness with northern lift, and it is best served slightly cool. The DOCG has become a favourite of the island's natural-wine growers. COS and Arianna Occhipinti have done much to build its name abroad.
On the table
What to eat with Cerasuolo di Vittoria
The home country leads; global pairings that genuinely work follow.
In-depth guide
Cerasuolo di Vittoria, answered
It was promoted from DOC to DOCG by ministerial decree on 13 September 2005, and no other Sicilian wine name has followed. The island has dozens of denominations, including Etna, Pantelleria and the island-wide Sicilia DOC. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the only one at the top tier. That status reflects two things: how distinctive the two-grape blend is, and the historic reputation of the Vittoria area.
Exactly two, in fixed proportions: 50 to 70 per cent Nero d'Avola and 30 to 50 per cent Frappato. Neither may be left out. Nero d'Avola provides colour, body and tannin. Frappato provides perfume, freshness and lightness. Few Italian denominations are defined by a real partnership like this, rather than by one dominant grape with optional blending partners.
Bright and see-through rather than dark, despite coming from one of the hottest parts of Italy. Expect red cherry, strawberry and floral notes over a medium body, with moderate tannin and lively acidity. The name comes from the Italian word for cherry, and it describes the colour as much as the flavour. The wine rewards a light chill, which is unusual for a southern Italian red.
Classico marks the historic heartland of the DOCG, in the province of Ragusa. Classico sits around Vittoria, Comiso, Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi and Santa Croce Camerina. The broader DOCG zone reaches into the provinces of Caltanissetta and Catania. Classico bottles come from the sandy soils closest to the sea, which tend to give the palest and most aromatic version of the blend.
Slightly cool, around 15 to 16 degrees. That suits its moderate tannin and lifted red fruit better than full room temperature. It does not need decanting, because the scent is the best part and spreading it out gains nothing. It pairs well with Sicilian cooking such as pasta alla Norma, arancini and grilled meats. Its freshness lets it handle richer or spicier dishes than most reds.
Explore more Sicily
Same region only: the denominations Cerasuolo di Vittoria drinkers reach for next.
