Skip to content
WineHQ
Search

Appellation · Italy

Vittoria

Sicily’s only DOCG, in the island’s south-east, blending Nero d’Avola with the much lighter Frappato.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCGmediterraneanhot
What to expect in the glass

Medium-bodied dry red, bright and cherry-scented with red fruit and a floral lift. Moderate tannin, good acidity, and best served slightly cool.

About Vittoria

Cerasuolo di Vittoria is Sicily’s only DOCG, made in the island’s south-eastern corner on sandy red soils.

It is a blend of two very different grapes: Nero d’Avola, which gives colour, body and dark fruit, and Frappato, which is pale, floral and light. The combination produces a wine that is medium-bodied and unusually fresh for Sicily.

Cerasuolo means cherry-coloured, and it is a descriptor of the wine rather than a place — the same word is used for the Abruzzo rosé, which is unrelated.

What the name means

Legal name
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
Type
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)
Set by
MASAF
Recognised
2005
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

Everything a DOC controls, plus a compulsory analytical and tasting examination before bottling and a numbered state seal on the neck. The tier above DOC in regulatory strictness, which is not the same as guaranteed quality.

Worth knowing

Sicily’s only DOCG. A blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato in defined proportions.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Sicily’s only DOCG: a blend of Nero d’Avola and the floral, delicate Frappato, pale and perfumed.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Vittoria is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-IT-A0803, protected at EU level since 2009.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Serve at 13–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with chilli con carne, fillet steak or turkey.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Etna — Vineyards on the slopes of an active volcano, producing pale, high-acid reds and mineral whites.
  • Sicily — A large Mediterranean island whose modern reputation rests on high-altitude Etna wines and on Nero d’Avola.

Sources

Sources consulted