Published by Jeremy.
Disclaimers: This review uses WSET Diploma terminology and our own rating scale. Read more here. We use demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information. This website is intended for those of legal drinking age in your jurisdiction.
When we think of Sicilian wines, it is easy to immediately pop over to the popular wine region along Mount Etna in the northeast.
But there are numerous excellent wine regions all over the island, and Vittoria in the south is another that lovers of fine Italian wine should keep in mind, primarily for its two most popular grapes-Frappato and Nero d'Avola!
One of the most acclaimed producers in this area is COS (particularly for their Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG blend of these two grapes), and when we found a bottle of their single varietal Frappato available at home, we snatched it up right away. This one is a light and flavorful red wine that is perfect on a hot summer day!
A Refreshing COS Frappato from Sicily
This Sicilian Frappato was pale ruby in color with medium aromas of strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, clove, orange rind, wet stone, red currant, blueberry, and leather. Some of the red fruit notes also had a light jammy characteristic.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, medium chalky tannin, alcohol, and flavor intensity, medium(-) body, and medium(+) finish. We had notes very similar to the nose of strawberry, red raspberry, red cherry, clove, wet stone, red currant, plum, and cedar.
Frappato Food Pairing – Halibut Cheeks in Saffron Tomato Sauce
We paired this light red wine with a dish we thought would have a little bit of Sicilian influence- pan-seared halibut cheeks in a tomato sauce with saffron.
We thought the light wine would pair nicely with a bit more of a delicate seafood dish without overpowering the saffron notes, and were pretty pleased when it had an almost cherry cola-like flavor come out with a nice zippy acidity on the tongue to go with it.
As such, we'd say a pairing with a white fish (even a meaty white fish like these almost scallop-like halibut cheeks) in tomato sauce can make for a great pairing with this wine!
Score: 4 / 5
We'd buy another bottle of this one.
Although we often think Frappato is a bit of a simple wine, with dominant red fruit notes and lighter characteristics all around, this one was a pleaser with a decent intensity and some developing complexity to go along with it. We'd always be happy to have a bottle of this one on hand, especially to enjoy on a hot summer day. (Although, we admittedly are looking forward to trying their Cerasuolo di Vittoria blend with Nero d'Avola next for something with a little more heft!)
COS is located at S.P.3 Acate – Chiarmonte Km.14,300 in Vittoria, Italy. We purchased this bottle locally and enjoyed it in 2025. At the time of publication, it was available on Wine.com.
Upgrade Your Home Wine Bar
Need to upgrade your wine bar? Grab some new wine accessories:
