Frappato Vittoria, Planeta 2025 75cl

Frappato is Sicily's great party trick — a red so bright and juicy it almost drinks like a heavier rosé, and Planeta make one of the reference examples from their Vittoria estate in the island's warm south-east.

This is the grape that lends Cerasuolo di Vittoria its lift, shown here on its own. Planeta grow it on sandy soils near the coast, and the combination of sea breeze and Sicilian sun gives a wine that is generous and fresh at once. It sees no heavy oak — the point is purity of fruit, not structure.

The colour is a pale, luminous ruby. The nose is red cherry and strawberry, edged with white pepper, wild thyme, a floral note and a curl of woodsmoke. On the palate it is light-to-medium and thoroughly juicy — cherry and cranberry, a touch of salinity, a faint welcome bitterness on the close — with soft tannins and lively acidity carrying a surprisingly long finish. It drinks beautifully chilled.

At £17.99 this is one of the most refreshing reds in the range and a brilliant summer bottle — the kind you serve cold from the fridge on a warm evening. This is the freshest vintage yet, so drink it young, over the next couple of years, while the fruit is at its most vivid.

How to Serve

Serve properly chilled, 12–14°C. Treat it like a light red or a robust rosé. No decanting.

Where to Drink It

Bentley's alongside the oysters and crab. Dandy on Maltby Street. Planque in Haggerston for a chilled-red kind of evening.

Food Pairings

Grilled sardines or a summery tomato and anchovy salad. It also handles a margherita pizza with real ease.