Nomenclature question

I got that question from the staff as well.

I said it might be because of the ratio of Nero d'Avola: you can have a 100% Frappato Cerasuolo di Vittoria, but I believe if you go over 70% or so with the Nero d'Avola, you can no longer apply the doc (both Belfrage and Lynch/Bastianich list the maximum for Nero d'Avola at 60%, but Fia'Nobile makes a Cerasuolo di Vittoria that lists 70% Nero d'Avola, so I don't know). Also, there is a the possibility that one or both, but most likely the Nero d'Avola, is sourced from outside of the zone. Say Pachino, perhaps. And then there is the possibility that some sort of minimum ageing requirement has not been met.

Maybe Kevin McK can chip in with the correct answer.

I will say that many producers in Sicily elect to go under the Sicilia IGT banner for their wines, as they seem to think that DOC designations such as Contea di Sclafani or Delia Nivolelli mean little or nothing to consumers. Marco De Bartoli tried to push through a Sicilia DOC in the mid-90's and his opponents put the fraud squad on him, almost bankrupting him, and perhaps causing the death of his uncle (due to the stress).

But hey, some Prosecco can now be labelled DOCG, so I mean, the system must be working.
 
According to my "Libro completo del vino" the rules in Cerasuolo di Vittoria are a minimum of Frappato di Vittoria of 40% but this does not account for the Fia'Nobile so perhaps someone else has more current info.
 
I believe that the Cerasuolo DOCG rules, like those for most other DOCG (I don't know or care about the new DOCG rules for Prosecco) require at least a minimum of ageing in vat or barrel before bottling and then another period of ageing time in bottle before release.

SP68 (Strada Provinciale 68, the road in front of Arianna's home and vineyards) is the antithesis of that process and it is Arianna's intention to make a fresh and easy drinking style for early release.

It is 51.05 percent Nero and 51.05 Frappato. But that's a guess.

She originally intended to label it under the new DOC Vittoria Rosso, but decided against it when she realized that it could be a mark of true mediocrity based on the other wines being released under the DOC.

She will be releasing a Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2006 later this year.

As far as DOCG's future, there will be a lot of new DOCG's being declared in the next year as producers and protectionist wine consortium regions scramble to get "grandfathered" in before the murky new EU laws take effect in 2011. As I understand it, DOCG wines will not require any other wording or designation on the label (i.e., Vino d'Italia).
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
CerasuoloWhat's it mean, anyway? Beyond a blend of Nd'A and F, that is. Etymology-wise?
Click to expand...

The reference is to cherries, probably refering to the color of the wine. Vittoria is a small town not far from Ragusa.

Keep in mind that there is another Cerasuolo appellation in Italy, with rosato wine made from Montepulciano.
 
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