Santa Tresa, starting from 2001, cultivates indigenous clones of Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Grillo, which are very typical of the region. Frappato is an excellent indigenous variety from Vittoria, Grillo originates from western Sicily, while Nero d’Avola comes from Avola, a small town a few kilometers from Vittoria.
At Santa Tresa they also cultivate non-indigenous grape varieties rarely found in Sicily, such as Viognier from France, which has found ideal growing conditions there. They have also an experimental vineyard, which is completely organically cultivated and dedicated to rediscovering indigenous, traditional vines by their bio-types.
They have recently invested in connecting directly with a local reservoir and only use natural rainwater for our irrigation, without using wells, or taking water out of the soil.
Winemaking: HARVEST: the Frappato grapes are hand-picked during the first few days of September once the grapes have reached the perfect balance of sugars and acidity needed for making a good spumante. The grapes are put into small containers and are refrigerated for around 48 hours to reduce the temperature to about 8-10°C. VINIFICATION: after very careful destemming, the grapes are put into a pneumatic press, where they stay for around 2 hours and are very, very gently pressed at 0.2 bar. The must is chilled to facilitate a natural sedimentation. The alcoholic fermentation occurs at 18-20°C for around 8-10 days and the base wine is then kept refrigerated. SECONDARY FERMENTATION: the secondary fermentation for Frappato Brut takes place in small autoclaves at a temperature not exceeding 14°C. The special yeast strains added to initiate the second fermentation work very slowly at this low temperature, helping to retain the freshness and typical characteristics of the Frappato.
Organoleptic Characteristics
- Colour: Salmon pink.
- Nose and flavour: Il Frappato Spumante Rosé has a fine and consistent perlage. Elegant, with fresh fruity notes on the bouquet, reminiscent of wild strawberries. On the palate, the wine is delicate and harmonious, with lovely fresh fruit flavours, citrussy notes and a pleasant acidity.
Suggestions
- Serving Temperature and Food Matching Serving temperature: 8-10°C.
- Recommended with: The ideal aperitif and perfect accompaniment to seafood antipasti. Excellent with shellfish. In Ragusa, they pair it with our local mortadella.
