CERASUOLO di VITTORIA DOCG

FEATURED PRODUCERS

Manenti Cerasuolo di Vittoria by Gugliemo Manenti

THE MAP

The Cerasuolo di Vittoria production zone is spread over the convergence point of three provinces in Sicily: Caltanissetta (light blue), Catania (turquiose),  and Ragusa (green)

The communes within these three provinces are: 

Ragusa, Vittoria, Comiso, Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Santa Croce Camerina (in Ragusa), Niscemi, Gela, Caltagirone, Licodia Eubea, Riesi (in Caltanissetta), Butera, Mazzarino e Mazzarrone (in Catania).

Only these areas can legally produce wine under the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG label.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico communes:

Acate, Comiso, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Vittoria (all of which are in the province of Ragusa)

THE NAME: Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Vittoria is the commune, or what we Americans might call a county, as well as the name of the historical town. Cerasuolo refers to the wine. The “di Vittoria”, which literally means “from Vittoria”, is an important distinction as there is a very different wine, confusingly also called Cerasuolo, made in the Abruzzo region in central Italy.

In the last century, the Ragusa province in Sicily was so deeply affected by the phylloxera epidemic that most farmers, having witnessed the devastation of their vineyards, decided to instead plant fruit and vegetables. Only in the last 20 years has there been a steady return to vine growing in the area.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria was first created in 1973 as a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and became a DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) in 2005, the first and only DOCG in Sicily. It differs from the larger Vittoria DOC zone in that it has more strict rules on cropping, ageing, and which grape varieties are permitted in the wine. It is a red wine ONLY production zone, made exclusively from Frappato (30-50%) and Nero d’Avola (50-70%). Although Vittoria is the name of the historical town and its surrounding commune, the contemporary Cerasuolo di Vittoria production area encompasses multiple communes and provinces. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG production area (that is, the areas that are legally permitted to produce a wine with a Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG label) include the communes of: Ragusa, Vittoria, Comiso, Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Santa Croce Camerina, Niscemi, Gela, Caltagirone, Licodia Eubea, Riesi, Butera, Mazzarino, and Mazzarrone.

THE LAND

The Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG zone sits between the Ibleo Plateau and the Mediterranean Sea and averages about 100m asl (above sea level). Like the other coastal areas of Sicily, it has a warm Mediterranean climate: sunny hot days, cool and drying breezes from the ocean, and a nighttime diurnal shift. The soil is iron-rich, calcareous, with a topsoil of sandy clay. There is a Classico subzone, which refers to the more historical and thus older production zone. This classification is to have you associate the wine with higher quality, but take that with a grain of salt. While some regions’ reference to Classico surely do refer to more elevated wines (e.g. Chianti Classico), I would be hesitant to make such an assumption with this particular area. Objectively, the Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico wines have a longer minimum aging requirement, 18 months vs. 8 months, before release onto the market.

THE GRAPES

Cerasuolo is a blend of the Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes. Nero d’Avola is the king of grape varietals for the entirety of Sicily- it is cultivated in all viticultural areas of the island and the Vittoria zone is no exception. Yet, despite its reign over production, it is the Frappato grape that is the true hero of this area. Frappato is the most ancient red varietal of Sicily. Its origins are actually in Sicily, whereas the Greeks are said to have introduced the Nero d’Avola vine to the area.