Author：Marco Simoni
An elegant and ancient sweet wine loved by the Popes.
Around the enchanting land of Calabria, through the hills of the Parco Nazionale del Pollino in the province of Cosenza, precisely in the village of Saracena lies one of the most precious hidden treasures, the Moscato di Saracena: an air-dried sweet wine, made from a combination of local Saracenese, Guarnaccia, Duraca and Malvasia Bianca grapes.
Throughout the years, there have been many historical studies carried out on Saracena Moscato, in particular by Professor Pietro de Leo, Professor of Medieval History from the University of Calabria. The first historical record of this ancient air-dried sweet wine dates back to the 16th century, when Cardinal Guglielmo Sirleto transported it from the port of Scalea to Vatican lands in such quantities that Pope Pius IV and many other popes indulged in it, so that it deservedly became part of the Enoteca Pontificia and was known as the “wine of the popes”. Later, between the 17th and 19th centuries, it was also mentioned by wealthy European aristocrats, who marked it as a prized possession in their travel notes. In 1901, the novelist George Gissing mentioned it with delight in his travelogue “On the Ionian Sea”, as he tasted and enjoyed it during a stopover in Sibari on the Great Greek Route, as did Norman Douglas in his book “Old Calabria”, published in 1915.
There are three very specific and connected phases in the winemaking process of Saracena Moscato.
In the first phase, the grapes from Moscatello and Duraca are harvested in early September and dried bunches by bunches; then, in the first ten days of October, the grapes from Guarnaccia and Malvasia are harvested and their must is boiled and concentrated. In the final stage, the dehydrated grapes from Moscatello and Duraca are added to the concentrated must, selected by hand and crushed. This began a long fermentation triggered by the autogenous yeasts of the dried grapes and a maceration for 6 months, resulting in a sweet wine with an alcohol content of no more than 18°, elegant, soft and with an amber hue.
The philosopher, Doctor and writer Andrea Bacci reported on the original, unique and ancient production methods of this wonderful Italian excellence in his 1596 article “De naturali vinorum historia”, describing his discovery at the most important princely banquets in southern Italy of ” Moscatellum vinum”.
Thanks to the invaluable help of my dear friend and colleague from the Calabrian industry, Dr Francesco Paolo Sciumbata, sommelier and journalist for the ONAV (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Vino), who unearthed the winery that has kept a dying wine alive —- Cantine Viola.
The thing is, Saracena and Calabria can still own flagship indigenous winegrowers like Saracena Moscato, thanks to the vision of Luigi Viola, who founded the Viognier winery in 1999 with a primary focus on producing, evaluating and protecting this excellence.
After 35 years as a primary school teacher, Luigi decided to dedicate his career to Saracena Moscato, involving his wife Margherita and his three sons Roberto, Alessandro and Claudio in the project. Over the years, the great work of the Viola family and the collaboration of the Pollino Park Authority have led to numerous awards and recognitions for this air-dried liqueur, which has also been the impetus behind the whole park, one of which is the aspirational Slow Food campaign, also supported by the Municipality of Saracena.
Currently, this outstanding classic version is labelled Calabria IGT, and the Viola family’s “battle” with other producers of this type of wine is to obtain a well-deserved DOC with the name Saracena Moscato.
