Red grape variety
Frappato
A pale, intensely floral Sicilian variety making light, fragrant reds best served slightly chilled.
What is Frappato?
Frappato is one of the most floral red varieties in Italy, producing pale, light, perfumed wines with almost no tannic weight.
It is excellent lightly chilled, and is one of the few Italian reds that works with fish.
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 4225 under the prime name FRAPPATO DI VITTORIA, with berry skin colour noir and country of origin italy, and the pedigree "SANGIOVESE X ?". Checked 2026-08-17.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Frappato, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | low | Consistent | |
| Acidity | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Tannin | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | medium | Some variation | |
| Body | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | medium | Consistent | |
| Oak influence | low | Consistent | |
| Savoury character | low-medium | Consistent | |
| Floral character | high | Some variation | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | low | Consistent | |
| Earthy character | low | Consistent | |
| Perceived freshness | high | Some variation | |
| Texture | low-medium | Some variation |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Where it grows
If you like Frappato, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Schiava
A comparably delicate, pale red.
Lighter still, with an almond note.
Gamay
Both are pale, light, juicy reds that benefit from a chill.
More granitic and less floral.
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Both are made from frappato, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more oaky, and fuller and richer.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Schiava
A comparably delicate, pale red.
Lighter still, with an almond note.
English still Pinot Noir
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be earthier, and less floral.
Poulsard
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral, and earthier.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
English still Pinot Noir
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be earthier, and less floral.
Schiava
A comparably delicate, pale red.
Lighter still, with an almond note.
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Both are made from frappato, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, both come from the same country.
Expect it to be stronger and warmer, and more oaky.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Both are made from frappato, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more oaky, and more tannic and structured.
Gamay
Both are pale, light, juicy reds that benefit from a chill.
More granitic and less floral.
Pinot Meunier
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
Fillet steak
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Asparagus
Works because bitterness in the dish and tannin in the wine accumulate rather than balance.
Fresh cheese
Works because a heavy wine would bury a delicate dish.
Tortilla española
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
Turkey
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Artichoke
Works because bitterness in the dish and tannin in the wine accumulate rather than balance.
What to avoid with it
Dishes the pairing engine scores badly, and the principle that explains why. A short list: most things are fine.
How to serve it
Temperature
12–14°C
54–57°F · Lightly chilled
About 45 minutes to an hour in the fridge from room temperature, or take it out of the fridge about an hour before serving.
Decanting
No need to decant
Nothing about this wine suggests it needs decanting. Light, aromatic and sparkling wines generally lose more than they gain.
Glass
Burgundy bowl
A wide bowl gives a delicate, aromatic red more surface area to release aroma, and directs it to the nose from a wider rim.
Ageing
Wines made from this grape are generally at their best within a few years.
Made for freshness rather than keeping. Varietal Frappato and the lighter Cerasuolo di Vittoria blends are at their most appealing in the first two or three years, when the red-berry aroma is still lifted; the low tannin that makes them so drinkable early is also what gives them little to develop on.
Family tree
Established by DNA analysis. Ampelography alone could not have found these relationships.
Parents
VIVC gives one established parent, Sangiovese, with the other unknown.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof
- Italian DOP and IGP wine register — Ministero dell’agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF)