2018 COS Frappato

Region: Vittoria > Sicily > Italy Grapes: Frappato Vineyard/Cellar Stats: certified organic farming with some biodynamics, limestone soil under red clay, fermented and aged in concrete, 300m elevation, 15-year-old vines; bottled unfined/unfiltered with minimal added So2; 12% ABV Winemaker: Giusto Occhipinti The Sicilian vineyards of Etna may get all the fame, but the unsung glory goes to Vittoria, hands down, and specifically to Frappato. In a region where summer temps can often hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or more) it incomprehensibly produces a light-bodied, easy-drinking red that refreshes just like a Beaujolais. And if you know Frappato, you know Cos. A partnership between three friends, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano, they are the OG producer in Vittoria (the initials of their last names spell COS) and their founding in 1980 re-framed the discussion on Sicilian wine. It showed the rest of the world that quality wine could be made here and the terroir