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Here at The Rambling Vine, I have a tendency to befriend unusual grape varieties: basically, to pick the weird wines. This sometimes results in many a dud (I’m looking at you, $4 bottle of Georgian orange wine), but sometimes I unearth vinous treasure. 🍇 As much as I am a purist and love the classics, I also like to take chances on less common grape varieties. It’s my source of adventure! My philosophy is hey, it’s just wine – if you go wrong, order a different glass or bottle. No biggie (well, unless you’ve really splurged, then that bites).
But I also want this site to be a place with reliable recommendations that are delicious, so I never post on anything I don’t love or that I wouldn’t buy myself. Sure, all of our palates vary, and they even change over time (I’m sure I have one wine on here that I reviewed over a decade ago that I don’t like now). But if you are at least enjoying the majority of the wines I’ve got on here, then I’m doing a pretty good job. 🙂
I was originally planning on saving this wine for a post in November as a Thanksgiving meal wine recommendation, and I still stand by that. But there’s no reason to wait that long to share this special wine with you (plus I have other great wine recommendations for Thanksgiving).
Today, I’m taking the vineyard row less trampled and seeking out something truly exciting and extraordinary. Say, “Ciao, Bella!” to a rare grape from the Mediterranean island of Sicily – Frappato! 
About this wine:
Il Frappato | Vittoria Frappato | DOC Sicilia | Valle Dell’Acate
- 100% Frappato dry red wine
- 12.5% ABV
- Price between $20 – $30, depending on where you purchase
- Aromas of cranberry, strawberry, and herbs blast out of the glass. I have never smelled anything quite like this wine. This is up there in terms of all-time favorite smelling wines.
- On the palate: high acid but with soft fruity tannins. Delightful slightly chilled. Made for food.
- From the winery’s tasting notes: “Aromas are fresh and overpowering with hints of red fruits, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, violet flowers and sage. Fresh and vivacious flavors with a pleasant and persistent closing. Medium bodied with silky tannins. Best paired with fresh and aged cheeses, Sicilian red tuna, sushi and sashimi.”
I first tried this Frappato along with some other fantastic wines from this same winery at Arista Wine Cellars in Edmonds, Washington. My husband and I were so smitten with this baby we purchased a bottle and then ordered three more shortly thereafter.
The Tenuta Valle dell’Acate estate is in the southeast corner of Sicily and boasts organic vineyards. In the last 15 years or so, the quality of Sicilian wine has improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to better vineyard practices and new folks carrying out the work of growing the grapes and making the wine. As our tasting sheet noted, “It’s a good time to be drinking wine from Sicily.”
This may be true, but caveat emptor! In addition to this wine, I have tried two other Sicilian Frappatos, and neither one was molto bene. So keep in mind that not every Frappato will be as noteworthy as this one. This is the one to get!
To order this wine, purchase here.
As this wine is such a wonderful partner for food, I’ve also got an EASY dinner recipe that goes beautifully with this wine. Here is my riff on Joanna Gaines’ Grilled Raspberry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin from the Magnolia Table cookbook, adapted for the oven instead of the grill. As she states in the recipe introduction, this was the first way she cooked pork tenderloin and it’s been the only way she’s done it since. Ditto!
To round out the meal, serve it with steamed green beans, and either potatoes or rice.
Raspberry-Chipotle Pork Tenderloin
Recipe adapted from The Magnolia Table Cookbook by Joanna Gaines
Yields 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 24 oz. bottle raspberry-chipotle sauce, preferably Fischer & Wieser (too much – save some to serve on the cooked pork)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 4 T honey
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. garlic salt
- 2 lbs. pork tenderloin
- Vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat oven to 400°F.
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In a bowl, whisk together the raspberry-chipotle sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, garlic powder, and garlic salt. Place the pork tenderloins in a Pyrex baking dish and pour over the marinade. Roll it around a couple times to thoroughly coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the pork from the marinade and place it in a greased baking dish. Brush the pork with some of the marinade, then discard the remaining marinade.
- Bake until pork reaches a safe internal temperature of 145°F
- Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice crosswise and serve.
- Tightly wrap leftover pork in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftover cooked pork can dry out if reheated, but it makes delicious cold sandwiches and a quick taco filling.
Have you tried Frappato? Or made this recipe before? Comment!
The Rambling Vine 