Cerasuolo di Vittoria

The rules date viticulture in eastern Sicily to Greek colonisation: Syracuse was founded in 733-734 BC and its colony Kamarina in 598 BC at the mouth of the Ippari, inside today's zone. Coins of Kamarina show wine amphorae, many amphorae lie on the sea floor off it, and a rolled lead sheet of the third century BC records the sale of a vineyard between the Ippari and Irminio rivers to a woman who kept a wine shop. In Roman times the land between the Ippari and Dirillo was called 'Plaga Mesopotamium', and amphorae found at Pompeii name Mesopotamio as a source.

In 1606 Vittoria Colonna Henriquez, countess of Modica, founded the town of Vittoria and gave each of the first 75 settlers a hectare on condition that they planted another with vines. Paolo Balsamo (1808) and Domenico Sestini (1812) praised the wines and described both grapes. Exports reached 300,000 hl in 1860, before phylloxera ruined many small growers. DOC came in 1973 and DOCG on 13 September 2005.

The zone covers about 124,500 ha between the Erei mountains to the north, the Mediterranean to the south, the Iblei to the east and the hills of Caltanissetta to the west. It has three bands: the coast at 0-200 m, middle hills with vineyards at 200-350 m and high hills above 350 m. The ground is mainly calcareous, Miocene calcarenites covered by loose Pleistocene soils, with sandy and clay-sand formations. The rules give the soils as 50% leached brown soils and terra rossa on calcarenite, 25% brown, vertic brown soils and vertisols, 15% brown soils on sands and conglomerates and 10% alluvial soils along rivers.

The climate is hot and dry: annual means run from 19.6 °C at Gela on the coast to 15.4 °C at Caltagirone in the high hills, and rain from 385 to 499 mm, with barely 1-9 mm from June to August. July and August day-night swings are 9 °C on the coast, 11 °C in the high hills and 13-14 °C in the middle hills.

On limestone the soils are mostly shallow, bright red and rich in iron. Vine roots reach down to the rock, where the contact between limestone and terra rossa keeps some moisture; this feeds the vine after veraison and avoids ripening stops from water stress. Mild winters, dry summers and strong July-August swings suit quality. The coast ripens two to three weeks before the high hills, where picking falls in early October. The wines range from cherry red to violet, turning garnet with age; the basic wine smells floral to fruity and the Classico of cherry, and both are dry, full, soft and harmonious. The consortium describes a cherry-red colour, fruit-led aroma and full, rounded palate.

The vineyard must hold 50-70% Nero d'Avola and 30-50% Frappato, a pairing the rules call unique to this part of Sicily; both grapes appear in the descriptions of Balsamo (1808) and Sestini (1812). The basic wine may be sold from 1 June of the year after the harvest and needs 12.5% alcohol. The Classico may not be sold before 31 March of the second year after the harvest and is described as cherry red turning garnet, with a cherry scent. Bottles must be traditional glass of up to 5 litres. The consortium also oversees the separate Vittoria DOC.