Frappato Fondo Filara, Nicosia 2022

Nicosia was founded at the end of the 19th century as a wine trader by Francesco Nicosia, and is still run by his great-grandson Carmelo with his sons Francesco and Graziano.

Carmelo has been responsible for the recent restructuring of the company’s vineyards: in 2002 he bought six hectares at Trecastagni, on the south-east slopes of Mount Etna overlooking the sea, replanting the land with nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio for red and catarratto and carricante for white. The volcanic, mineral soils impart a richness to the wine, whereas the altitude here provides lower temperatures, leading to fresher, more elegant character.

The family also owns 30 hectares in the province of Ragusa in Vittoria, planted with frappato and nero d’Avola grapes, famous for making the region’s Cerasuolo red wine. This is a green and fertile land with a Mediterranean climate and limestone soils.

The large, impressive Trecastagni winery is a result of many years of hard work, and is filled with both stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels, as well as an ultra-modern bottling line. It also has an excellent restaurant that is well worth a visit!

The Fondo Filara range we buy is a great example of the company’s values: expressing both Sicilian winemaking tradition and the potential of the area’s native grape varieties.