Summer means hot afternoons and warm, pleasant evenings…It’s time for a good rose!

Grown almost exclusively in Sicily, Frappato is a light-bodied red wine grape. Frappato is indigenous to the Terre Siciliane wine region, which encompasses all of Sicily and some surrounding islands. The region is known for its stylistic freedom and warm, dry climate, cooled by ocean breezes, that make it ideal for wine growing. Though Frappato grapes are generally used to produce red wine which is highly acidic and lends itself to be served slightly cooler than most reds, these characteristics also make for nice, but less commonly found, rosés.

This particular Frappato comes from the sub-region of Salemi, located in western Sicily with a long tradition of winemaking. Salemi produces a variety of both red of white wines besides Frappato, to include Nero d’Avolo, Grillo, and Cataratto, among others.

This rosé is the 2024 Frappo from vineyards of Caruso & Minini, who have been making wine here for four generations. This is an organic winery that uses sustainable farming methods; they harvest all of their grapes by hand.

The label of this particular wine is indicative of the light and fun nature of the wine, but don’t that deceive you, this is an extremely enjoyable rosé. The nose is light and smells of honeysuckle and jasmine, along with cantaloupe, honey, and peach. On the palate, it is pleasantly light and very clean, tasting of citrus and grapefruit, with a touch of honey and strawberries. The tartness of the citrus combined with the sweetness of the honey makes this a very balanced wine.

Go out on your porch and enjoy!