The colour is deep ruby. On the nose cherries soaked in alcohol, with the addition of nutmeg, cinnamon, tobacco and cacao. In the mouth dense, rich and fruity. The aftertaste lasts for a while.
I appreciated the first glass of this bottle in Cefalù, facing the town and the sea from the balcony of a very nice hotel room. During the day I visited the Firriato winery on Mount Etna. A day with a lot of driving. The environment certainly helped me enjoy this wine, but I find it tiring. Still, this red version of Quater Vitis is a better wine than the white I tasted almost three years ago (www.thelovedwine.com/quater-vitis-bianco-2017). As I wrote back then, “Quater Vitis is certainly a wine created with a lot of marketing thoughts behind it.” After visiting their estate, I think that Firriato as a wine producer overall is strongly focused on marketing.
This wine is the result of blending four red grape varieties typical of Sicily, each representing 25% of the blend. Nero d’Avola, Perricone and Frappato grapes grown on the Pianoro Cuddìa estate located between Trapani and Marsala. Nerello Cappuccio grapes grown on the Cavanera Estate at about 680 metres above sea level on Etna (the estate I visited).
Nero d’Avola (also known as Calabrese) is the most important and widely planted red wine grape variety in Sicily. Vast volumes of Nero d’Avola are produced on the island every year, and have been for centuries. In the past Nero d’Avola was frequently used to add color and body to lesser wines in mainland Italy. Nowadays, it is common to find Nero d’Avola produced as a varietal wine. It is often compared to Syrah because it likes similar growing conditions and exhibits many similar characteristics.
Perricone is a little cultivated red wine grape variety grown in northwestern Sicily. The variety was hit hard by phylloxera and was replaced largely by Nero d’Avola, whose wines were considered superior. Despite bearing no relation, Perricone is often described as being quite similar to Barbera, with high acidity and characteristics of red berries, earth and herbs. However, Perricone has strong, noticeable tannins.
Frappato is a light-bodied red grape widely grown on the southeastern coast of Sicily. It is a component, with Nero d’Avola, of the island’s only DOCG wine: Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
Nerello Cappuccio is a dark-skinned grape variety, most famous for its contribution to the red wines of Etna. It is rarely found as a varietal wine and usually is utilized as a compliment to its cousin Nerello Mascalese, which is considered to be of a higher quality.
For this bottle I paid 14.90 EUR at a Supermarket in Piazza Almerina, a couple of EUR less that the price charged at the winery. As I observed multiple times, in Italy the price at the winery is often higher than elsewhere.
Country: Italy
Region: Sicily
Grapes: Frappato, Nerello Capuccino, Nero d’Avola, Perricone
Type: Red
Vintage: 2016
Producer: Firriato
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5