I have been thinking about this for some time, many years, actually. This thought returned to my mind again as soon as the first news began to spread regarding the estimates of the 2023 harvest. Predictions which, notoriously, came true, followed by the understandable, yet inevitable, complaints of producers almost everywhere in Italy, not least, also in other European wine-growing countries. The conditions of the recent harvest were decidedly critical compared to the past years, even in those which generated particular discontent, so much so that it was defined as among the worst in recent decades. When climate and adverse weather conditions produce negative effects on crops, in that case there is obviously very little that can be done. When events of this type occur – exactly like all those caused by Mother Nature – even when they are predictable, it is difficult to remedy them. In case of hail, for example, farmers close their eyes and cross their fingers, waiting, with quite an apprehension, the calm after the storm to come.

 If we take a closer look to history, as can be easily seen from past events, man – in implementing the systematic cultivation of plants for his own food, cultural, economic and social purposes – has always had to deal with the inevitable events of nature while trying to get the most out of it. This, we can say without fear of contradiction, has been happening since man invented agriculture. Ultimately, it is a scrupulous process of selection, and not natural at all, in which man constantly and exclusively commits himself to the cultivation of the “healthiest” plants, capable of guaranteeing a profitable harvest, discarding those which are not very resistant to diseases or which have poor production characteristics. We can think, for example, of what has been done for wheat, as well as other plants and vegetables, in times not even so distant. Such as the vast and important selection operations which took place in the 1900s in Italy, carried out above all by Nazareno Strampelli and Francesco Todaro, which made it possible to “create” various crossbreeds and varieties – not just wheat – with the sole purpose of improving disease resistance, better productivity and cultivation.

 This process originated a long series of wheat – which today in Italy are returning “in fashion” with the evocative classification of ancient grains – and which were essentially the result of necessity, not only agricultural, but also social and with the aim of fighting hunger and poverty. This selection process – and not just for wheat – is still adopted and implemented for every plant destined to agriculture, also by using methods completely similar to those used by Nazareno Strampelli and Francesco Todaro for the creation of what we today call ancient grains, certainly the fruit of man's genius and intelligence, certainly not of nature, although it was evidently indispensable to this process. Despite this may arouse the disappointment of some, including the disbelief of certain “purists”, what was done is just plain genetic improvement, both by resorting to the crossing technique and through genealogical selection and of hybridization, giving life to varieties that – as a matter of fact – did not exist in nature.

 The success was enormous and the result of that research practically “populated” the Italian fields destined for wheat, relieving farmers from the many worries of past years in terms of cultivation, disease resistance and productivity. I have always been convinced that, as far as viticulture and wine are concerned, conducting an operation similar to that of Nazareno Strampelli and Francesco Todaro, with the aim of improving the vine, would spark an endless and fierce crusade – as often happens in Italy – in support of the sacred defense of holy traditions “because it has always been done this way and this is how it must be in saecula saeculorum” (in an age of ages). Yet, our wise grandparents and great-grandparents – that is, those who gave life to our untouchable traditions – had no difficulty in adopting and cultivating the new varieties of wheat and not only that. If we think about it, their primary need was not to go on crusades, rather the practical sense of survival, having to choose between eating or starving, in addition to the desolation of lodged wheat fields or poor harvests caused by stem rust, with all due respect to the ancient grains of their grandparents.

 It is said that man has a poor memory and tends to quickly forget – for his own defense, perhaps for opportunity reasons and presumption – the events of the past, therefore not learning anything, and for this reason condemned to repeat the same mistakes. Today, in fact, in the viticultural sector, for years we have witnessed the strenuous defense of the “ancient” varieties of wine grapes, promoted as authentic guards and bulwarks of the identity of a territory and its most ancient and sacred traditions. Who knows if the humble vine, in the quiet and placid calm of the vineyard, is aware of the enormous responsibility attributed to it for the keeping and perpetuation of the identity of each territory. Including those varieties that have practically disappeared since decades and brought back to the wine scene, without perhaps wondering why our grandparents – that is the very same ones who invented our untouchable traditions – had abandoned them and replaced with other varieties. Perhaps they were unwise and rather foolish grandparents, unaware of the value of what they had in the vineyard, disdaining and throwing away the precious jewels to replace them with miserable and cheap costume jewelry.

 Memory, I was saying. Today we probably never consider that, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, an epochal change occurred in viticulture in Europe and that – as a matter of fact – erased forever the “purity” of the ancient varieties of wine grapes. Phylloxera, in fact, caused unprecedented devastation, forcing man to quickly look for a solution, before the European vine disappeared, and forever, from the vineyards. As is well known, the solution – still adopted today and irreplaceable – was to graft phylloxera-resistant root stocks to the European varieties. The vine was saved, but if we were purists to the core, as many do, convinced of defending their historical identity, all the varieties of grapes grown today are not exactly the same of those of times gone by. Except in very rare cases, so rare that they can be considered almost non-existent and in which environmental conditions unfavorable to phylloxera occur, “native” varieties with an “alien” root stock are cultivated in all the vineyards of Europe. It was an obligatory, necessary and inevitable choice, since the alternative was to give up the cultivation of vines. The remarkable result of man's genius, certainly against nature, which would never have grafted a root stock of an American grape variety into a European one. However, man did it and won the war against phylloxera, which continues to live in European vineyards without however causing harm.

 In the last harvest, as is known, the grapes were severely compromised due to downy mildew, a vine disease that is generally prevented and treated with copper-based products, particularly copper sulfate. Although it is the remedy already used by our grandparents – exactly like sulfur to combat powdery mildew – therefore traditional, one cannot help but observe that copper is a heavy metal, considered highly harmful to the soil, as well as toxic to organisms living underground. Downy mildew is just one example and those who grow vines know well that, in addition to this, every year they are also called upon to deal with and prevent other pathologies, resorting to specific phytosanitary treatments with more or less significant impacts on the environment, the soil and, last but not least, man. The events of recent years, no less, highlight the progressive increase in the intensity of the effects of certain diseases, together with the decrease in rainfall, should make us think about the fact the current grape varieties are no longer suitable for the environmental conditions of these times and, perhaps, they will be less and less so.

 The decrease in rainfall and the rise in temperatures that have regularly occurred in recent years, regardless of the cause – climate changes resulting from human behavior or otherwise – will certainly not be “solved” in a few years, provided they can however be solved. The intensification of vine pathologies necessarily requires preventive and phytosanitary interventions in ways that are evidently different from what was done in the past. In the case of downy mildew, which caused extensive damage in 2023, it is not even conceivable – for those who make use of this remedy – of intensifying the spraying of copper sulphate or other specific products. In this regard, since the mid-1800s, with a strong impulse in the 1950s, attempts have been made to remedy this through crossing and pollination of resistant varieties, together with genetic selection, leading to the creation of the PIWI varieties (from the German Pilzwiderstandfähig, literally “fungus-resistant”). It may be a solution, perhaps not the only one, but concrete as well as available, and – from my personal experience – the wines produced with these varieties have decidedly interesting sensorial and enological characteristics.

 Perhaps the time has come to think, for example, about the genetic improvement of modern varieties – also through cisgenesis and the so-called genome editing, two techniques which are currently not permitted by European regulations – in order to make them resistant to the most common pathologies and drought. I am referring, obviously and solely, to genetic improvement – a technique that has been used for years with various vegetables and, as mentioned before, widely used with wheat at the beginning of the last century – and not to transgenic mutation. After all, viticulture had already undergone a drastic and epochal change in the early 1900s due to phylloxera and had to adapt to its presence, forever changing the vine in European vineyards, yet ensuring the keeping of its existence. Perhaps the time has come to make a new drastic and epochal change so as to guarantee the survival and sustainability of viticulture, as well as of wine. Selection and genetic improvement would allow us to have the same varieties we know today, yet capable of resisting the most common pathologies and drought. Furthermore, this would have the advantage of considerably limiting phytosanitary treatments in the vineyard, while guaranteeing – at the same time – healthier grapes and, therefore, better quality wines. As well as less polluted soils.

 When we talk about red wine in the eastern part of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, it is practically impossible not to have a Sangiovese in the glass. This grape, in fact, has a very strong bond with this territory and in which it has been cultivated since time immemorial. Imagining to move to Sicily and, in particular, to Vittoria – in the province of Ragusa – wanting to talk about wine, the most obvious association is certainly Cerasuolo di Vittoria, however, speaking of grapes, they would be Nero d'Avola and Frappato. These are two very different territories, with equally diverse histories and wine cultures, not least with decidedly distant environmental and climatic conditions. Even the two grapes that we are going to examine in the tasting by contrast are, in fact, different and distant, as can be easily found out from the sensorial evaluation of the respective wines. Both grapes share an uncertain origin, and – over time – various assumptions have been made which, even today, are not fully confirmed.

 Emilia-Romagna and Sicily are regions having a large surface area reserved to agricultural activities, including viticulture. In the vineyards of these two regions we find a rich variety of grapes, both native and non-native of French origin. This diversity, no less, has also led to the definition of many areas with Denominazione d'Origine (Denomination of Origin) – in both regions there are more than twenty – in which wines are produced with both native grapes and so-called “international”. This month we will compare two wines produced in the Denominazione d'Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin, DOC) territories of Sicily and Emilia-Romagna, produced with grapes which – undoubtedly – are among the most significant and representative ones in their respective regions. We will in fact compare the Frappato produced in Vittoria and the Sangiovese of Romagna, grapes and territories capable of giving their respective wines character and personality, with distinct and different sensorial and enological qualities, perfect for the goal of our tasting by contrast.

 Vittoria – in the province of Ragusa, in the southern part of Sicily – is the only wine-growing area in the region to have a Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita rank (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, DOCG) attributed to Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine. This important Sicilian red wine is mainly produced with Nero d'Avola grape and the remaining part of Frappato, the variety that we will examine in this month's tasting. In the same territory – which covers the territories belonging to the provinces of Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania – the territory of Denominazione d'Origine Controllata Vittoria is also defined, in which is allowed the production of white and red wines, including mono-varietal ones. This is the case of the wine that we are going to evaluate in this month's tasting – Vittoria Frappato – for which, the relative production disciplinary, just like the majority of the Italian “mono-varietal” DOC wines, is produced with at least 85% of this variety.

 Frappato is a grape of important enological and sensorial interest, capable of giving personality and identity to its wines. Of very ancient origins and, although it is considered an indigenous variety of Sicily, more precisely of Vittoria, it is actually believed to originate from the Iberian peninsula. Frappato, in Sicily, however has a rather limited diffusion, mainly in the provinces of Ragusa and Siracusa, particularly in the territory of Vittoria. The character of the wines produced with Frappato mainly express fruity aromas, in particular red pulp fruits, of pleasing finesse and elegance, often characterized by the spicy scent of black pepper. In order to favor the fresh and fruity expression of Frappato, producers generally tend to vinify it in inert containers, whereas when it is blended to other varieties – as in the case of Nero d'Avola for the production of Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine – the aging in wood is more frequent.

 When red wines of Romagna – the eastern part of the region – are concerned, the primary reference is unquestionably Sangiovese. This famous red grape variety, among the most cultivated and widespread in Italy, especially in the Center, clearly and decisively identifies this land too and since a very long time. It is no coincidence, in fact, that among the many theories and legends linked to the origin of the Sangiovese grape, one leads back to Romagna and, in particular, to the town of Santarcangelo, more precisely, to the nearby Mount Giove or Colli Jovis and from which, as the legend goes on, it takes its name. Today, thanks to specific genetic research conducted on this grape, it is believed that Sangiovese actually derives from some varieties of southern Italy and that, for a long time, it has found in the Tuscany-Romagna Apennines its ideal and identifying territory. In fact, it was in this area that it will take its name: on the Tuscan side it becomes known as Sangioveto, while in Romagna it is known as uva sanzuvesa, more properly, Sangiovese.

 Sangiovese in Romagna is a grape of primary enological importance, with a long and consolidated history, so much so that it was among the first ones to obtain, in this land, the rank of Denominazione d'Origine Controllata. In 1967, in fact, Sangiovese di Romagna DOC was established, a name by which it will be known and appreciated until 2011, when the denomination becomes part of the more “generic” Romagna DOC. Specifically, Romagna Sangiovese can be produced in certain territories of the provinces of Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna, Rimini and Bologna. With the aim of better identifying the expressions of Sangiovese in this vast territory – as well as other varieties – the Romagna denomination also includes the following sub-areas: Bertinoro, Brisighella, Castrocaro and Terra del Sole, Cesena, Longiano, Marzeno, Meldola, Modigliana, Oriolo, Predappio, San Vicinio and Serra. Romagna Sangiovese, of which the “riserva” style is also produced, is usually vinified in wood casks, a technique that is more widely used than the use of inert containers, such as steel tanks.

The color of Romagna Sangiovese

 Our tasting by contrast will focus on the study of the specific qualities of Vittoria Frappato and Romagna Sangiovese, therefore, when choosing the bottles of wines that we will pour into the glasses, we need to pay attention to their production methods. Specifically, we will get wines exclusively produced with fermentation and aging in inert containers, preferably the steel tank. As usually happens with Italian Denominazione d'Origine Controllata wines requiring the indication of the variety in the label, we will pay attention to the composition as both Vittoria Frappato and Romagna Sangiovese allow the use of a part made of other grapes in addition to primary one. As the main purpose of our tasting by contrast is to understand and detect the specific differences of Frappato and Sangiovese, the respective bottles belong to the most recent harvest. The two wines are poured into tasting glasses at a temperature of 17° C. (63 °F)

 We can now pour the two wines into their glasses and begin this month's tasting by contrast, starting with Vittoria Frappato. By tilting the glass over a white surface and – by observing the base – we evaluate the color. The Sicilian wine presents itself to the eye with a brilliant ruby red color and, by placing a contrasting object between the glass and the white surface, a moderate transparency is revealed. Let's now observe the wine towards the opening of the glass, where the thickness becomes thinner, therefore evaluating the nuance. Also in this case a brilliant ruby red color is observed. Let's now move on to the evaluation of Romagna Sangiovese, therefore, tilting the glass over the white surface, and evaluate the color by observing the wine at the base. We can see a brilliant ruby red color, with a moderate transparency, generally lower than that of Vittoria Frappato. We then observe the nuances of the wine – towards the opening of the glass – in which the ruby red base color is confirmed.

 The olfactory profiles of Vittoria Frappato and Romagna Sangiovese, when vinified in inert containers, are appreciated for the pleasing aromas of red and black pulp fruits, as well as flowers. The profiles, although sharing common scents, develop and express completely different qualities and intensities. Furthermore, Frappato can develop a certain spicy profile – completely absent in wines produced with Sangiovese – and in which black pepper can be recognized. The wines produced with Frappato, in particular those of Vittoria DOC, can be recognized to the nose for their aromas of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, as well as the pleasing floral sensation reminiscent of rose and cyclamen. As already mentioned, in wines produced with this grape, it can be very often perceived a spicy character directly reminiscent of black pepper. The wines produced with Sangiovese, in this case, those of the Romagna denomination, are appreciated for the pleasing aromas of black cherry, plum, raspberry and blueberry, whereas for the aromas belonging to the world of flowers, the main perceptions are violet, rose and the geranium.

 Let's resume the tasting of our wines, proceeding with the evaluation of their respective olfactory profiles. The first wine we examine – as in the first phase – is Vittoria Frappato. By holding the glass in vertical position and without swirling, let's proceed with the first smell in order to evaluate the opening of the Sicilian wine. From the glass we can perceive clear and intense aromas of cherry, strawberry and raspberry followed by the unmistakable floral scent of rose. Let's now swirl the glass, so as to favor the development of the other aromas, and proceed with the second smell. The profile of this wine is completed with blueberry and blackberry, as well as the aromas of cyclamen and, frequently, black pepper. Let's now move on to the evaluation of the olfactory profile of Romagna Sangiovese and proceed to the analysis of its opening. From the glass we perceive, clear and intense, the aromas of black cherry, plum and violet, three sensations that very often distinguish wines produced with Sangiovese. After having swirled the glass and carried out the second smell, the profile of the wine is completed with blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and the floral scent of rose.

 Let's now move on to the evaluation of the gustatory profiles of the two wines of our tasting by contrast, starting – as in the previous phases – from Vittoria Frappato. Let's proceed with the evaluation of its attack, that is, the identifying and primary sensations that are perceived in the mouth at the first sip. The wine is characterized by a moderate astringency, well supported by the pleasing crispness given by the acidity, both balanced by the effect of the alcohol and the pleasing roundness. The body of Vittoria Frappato is good, however it is the crispness to mainly characterize the wine. Let's now examine the taste profile of Romagna Sangiovese, therefore take the first sip in order to evaluate its attack. The first sensation we perceive in the mouth is the moderate astringency – generally more intense than Frappato – which immediately finds balance thanks to the effect of alcohol. In addition to the good body, a pleasing crispness is also perceived in the mouth, a quality that is often evident in Sangiovese when it is vinified in inert containers.

 Let's proceed with the last phase of this month's tasting, therefore evaluate the final sensations the two wines leave in the mouth after swallowing, in particular, the so-called taste-olfactory persistence. The finish of Vittoria Frappato is persistent and in the mouth we can continue to clearly perceive the flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, in addition to the moderate astringency combining with the crispness of the wine. The finish of Romagna Sangiovese is also persistent, leaving in the mouth the sensation of moderate astringency – generally more accentuated than Frappato – in addition to the good body and the typical sensation of crispness. In the mouth we can continue to perceive the flavors of black cherry, plum and blueberry, often raspberry as well. Now compare the difference in the effect of astringency and crispness the two wines leave in the mouth in the final phase. Finally, by placing the glasses close together, we carry out the final smell – first Vittoria Frappato and then Romagna Sangiovese – which further allows us to perceive and understand the differences in the respective olfactory profiles.

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