Passito wines, as their name already tells, are a type of wine obtained by drying the bunches of grapes. This leads to a greater concentration of the sugar contained in the berries and, contrary to what one might think, not necessarily all sweet wines are sweet. Some examples of dry passito wines are Amarone della Valpolicella and Sforzato della Valtellina where the sugars are completely transformed into alcohol.
Passito wines have intense colors: golden yellow / amber for whites and garnet / orange for reds.
The gold-orange color is widespread throughout the national territory in a very varied scenario that goes from the mountains to the hills, from aromatic vines to more neutral varieties. The raisins that are born in the sea areas almost always have a color that tends to amber.
The most famous of all is certainly the Passito di Pantelleria also called “the yellow gold of Pantelleria”. Slightly fortified wine, sweet and aromatic, fragrant and intense. A real gem in the panorama of Italian passito wines, awarded by the DOC in 1971.
Surrounded by an almost magical, ancestral aura, the production of Passito on the island dates back to over two thousand years ago, when in 200 BC. the Carthaginian general Magone described the production of the primitive form of gold from Pantelleria
Italy is a country rich in types of sweet wines.
The aromas are also intense which can range from jams, dried and dehydrated fruit, to ripe flowers, up to “different” hints of small pastries.
There are 4 techniques to give life to sweet wines:
- Late harvest of the grapes: The bunches of grapes are left to overripe on the plants for a few weeks compared to the regular time of harvest. The berries dry up by increasing the concentration of sugars.
- Withering of the bunches: the evaporation of the water is greater. This is where the forced drying process comes into play: the bunches are placed on racks in closed air-conditioned rooms at 30 degrees with a rather low humidity of 55-60% for about ten days. In special cases, when it is very hot, the clusters are spread out in the sun and left to dry naturally.
- Induction of Botrytis Cinerea (a noble rot): Botrytis Cinerea develops mainly in cool and humid climates. It affects the skins, causes the berries to wilt and consequently leads to the concentration of all the extractive substances. But not only that: it produces glycerin and aromatic substances and consumes acids, giving unmistakable odorous nuances.
- “Eiswein” winemaking (ice wines): The grapes of the so-called ice wines are harvested in January, literally wrapped in a veil of ice. The bunches are pressed at very low temperatures (-7 degrees) to keep all the extractive substances. The wines obtained with this technique are very sweet, but with a marked flavor.
The choice of one technique rather than another is given by climatic conditions and tradition.
Passito wines are exceptional in combination with desserts such as dry pastries in general, biscuits, pies and fruit-based cakes, especially dried fruit. The typical sweetness of all these products will be enhanced by that of the wine which, in turn, will enhance that of the nectar.
The combination with chocolate is very fascinating and refined. Passito, in fact, are one of the few types of wine able to stand up to comparison with the aromatic power of this dessert. The secret is to combine the various types of chocolate with a passito wine that matches the cocoa content in terms of structure and aroma.
Last but not least, they are also perfect to be enjoyed on their own as meditation wines.
