Baroni di Pianogrillo, Curva Minore, Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2022

Fresh, easy to drink and fabulously elegant, the Baroni Di Pianogrillo Cerasuolo is a wine that is a perfect introduction to one of Sicily's oldest and most revered appellations, coming from the province of Vittoria. 

Made from a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappatto, this couldn't be any more fashionable in today's climate even if it tried! It is juicy and dark-fruit focused, but has a balancing lift of sweet, mouthwatering freshness underpinning a really satisfying finish. Low enough in alcohol at 13%, which is very moderate in Sicily, it is a wine that could be served chilled in the summer just as easily as it would be an excellent accompaniment to hearty roasts in the winter. 

It's brilliant!

The Pianogrillo farm is an ancient Sicilian fief, (located between the hamlets of Modica and Chiaramonte) and has belonged to the Piccione di Pianogrillo barons for centuries. Now in the hands of Lorenzo Piccione di Pianogrillo, the last descendent of the family, the estate consists of 80 hectares of organic vineyards, olive groves and municipal farming land. Everything on the farm is executed under the overarching goal of safeguarding nature and respecting the natural environment; this includes taking care of a rare breed of Sicilian pig, the Nero Ibleo, which still breeds in the wild, and raising workhorses to help in the vineyards. Of the 80 hectares, sixty are planted with olive trees, with seven hectares of vineyard, and fifteen hectares are left as woodland. With such biodiversity all around, it is no wonder that the quality of the wines produced are just excellent, intense and full of indelible Sicilian passion.

Sourcing grapes from vineyards cultivated with certified organic systems, this is a red wine made from Frappato vines planted on calcareous and clay soils facing south at 480 metres above sea level. The dramatic differences in temperature between day and night gives the grapes the best potential to fully ripen whilst maintaining their acidity. The grapes are selected and harvested by hand and, once they reach the winery, they are de-stemmed, pressed and fermented on the skins for several days. The wine is then transferred to massive 22-hectolitre oak barrels where it will remain for at least 12 months before bottling.

The legal quantities for the blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato are interestingly broad, allowing for differing vintage variations to reflect the potential yields: 50-70% Nero d'Avola and 30-50% Frappato. Pianogrillo aim for an even split to avoid a wine that could be heavier (if there was too much Nero d'Avola). The production see the wine aged in large, 25,000-litre barrels made from Slavonian oak with some 500-litre barrels made of Etna chestnut. This gives slightly more depth to teh structure than other Cerasuoli, which are often hyper-traditional and use amphora for their ageing.

But the result is delicious - full of charm and nervy energy, black fruit and cherries, this really is a pure and moreish flagship for Sicily's quality wine sector.