Wine of the Month - May 2022

Medium

Perfect chilled red for warm-weather sipping.

This month we have picked a fresh & delicately perfumed lower-alcohol, organic, Sicilian red. Which drinks perfectly slightly chilled with a range of alfresco inspired dishes or all by itself.

As part of our Wine of the Month offer, throughout May, Nicosia Bio Frappato 2020 will be sold at the standard price of £12.50 per bottle and you will receive 100 bonus loyalty points when you purchase a bottle!

Cantina Nicosia the producer of Nicosia Bio Frappato have been making wine in south and eastern Sicily for well over a century and successfully focus on getting the best out of the island’s native grape varieties. This lively red is from their organic range and is made from 100% Frappato grown in the vineyards around Vittoria near the southern tip of the island. No added sulfites are used and to keep everything as fresh and bright as possible it’s aged just in stainless steel before further brief maturation in bottle for a couple of months before release. The result is a wine with delicate and lightly floral aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and wild berries, with hints of aromatic herbs. The palate has bright red berry characters balanced with a crisp fresh acidity giving a real vibrancy and vivacity right to the finish.

The Frappato grapes used in this wine are grown on sandy soil situated 200m above sea level. Once the grapes are hand-picked in September the grapes undergo maceration and fermentation for 10-15 days at a controlled temperature of between 22-24 degrees Celsius they are then aged in stainless steel vats and for 2 months in the bottle.

Our suggestion is to put this wine in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to serving to appreciate the full palate it has to offer. Although as with all wines it’s all about personal preference, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy your red wine.

What are the benefits of chilling your red wine?

Drinking a red wine that you have chilled offers a completely opposite effect on your palate compared to drinking a red wine at room temperature. By chilling your red wine it focuses the flavours in the wine, makes the alcohol less evident and tightens the structure of the wine. As the director of wine studies at the Institute of Culinary Education, Richard Vayda put it “Generally speaking, the lighter the wine the more cooling, but usually not to the point of icy. These wines, unlike heavier reds, are not so appreciated for their complexities and nuances of flavour, but for their refreshing and bright nature.

Cantine Nicosia

Cantine Nicosia, based in the Etna region, on the east coast of Sicily and one of Italy’s most dynamic wine regions, is where Carmelo Nicosia, along with sons Franceso and Graziano, have developed their family business, started by Carmelo’s great grandfather Francesco in 1898, into one of the region’s most important wine producers.

Their winery in the village of Trecastagni, north of Catania, is where they marry together tradition and state-of-the-art technology. Trecastagni itself is at the foot of one of the extinguished craters dotting Mount Etna and at an altitude of around 700m, is home to the ancient vineyards of Monte Gorna, with their distinctive lava terraces. Their vineyards which have been completely restructured and replanted are located in two areas. The first is in the Etna area, on the slopes of Monte Gorna an extinct volcano to the southeast of Etna where they focus on the native varieties used for Etna DOC wines: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for reds and Catarratto and Carricante for whites. The extraordinary wealth of minerals found in Etna’s volcanic soils can be credited with the very rich flavour and unique character of the wines produced here. Their other vineyard is just a few miles from the southernmost tip of Sicily around the lively agricultural centre of Vittoria and the Contrada Bonincontro district which is home to their extensive plantings of Nero d’Avola and Frappato.

Nicosia Bio Frappato 2020

In a nutshell: A fresh and delicately perfumed, organic Sicilian red from southeast of this Mediterranean island.

The lowdown: Cantine Nicosia have been making wine in south and eastern Sicily for well over a century and successfully focus on getting the best out of the island's native grape varieties. This lively red is from their organic range and is made from 100% Frappato grown in the vineyards around Vittoria near the southern tip of the island. No added sulphites are used and to keep everything as fresh and bright as possible it's aged just in stainless steel before a further brief maturation in bottle for a couple of months before release. The result is a wine with delicate and lightly floral aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and wild berries, with hints of aromatic herbs. The palate has bright red berry characters balanced with a crisp fresh acidity giving a real vibrancy and vivacity right to the finish.

Suggested Food Pairings

• Vegetable Tempura
• Couscous
• Tabbouleh
• Caprese salad
• Pasta Alla Norma
• Eggplant Parmigiana

Nicosia Bio Frappato 2020

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