Wine from dried grapes popular and appreciated since antiquity has become one of the most important current consumption trends.
It has very ancient origins rooted in Mediterranean history: the earliest evidence is the discovery in Judea of a jar bearing the inscription “wine made from black raisins.” Cato quoted, “To make good wine it is necessary to harvest very ripe or dried grapes, ” and Homer wrote that it was believed it could last as long as 200 years. The drying of grapes over time has spread throughout the Mediterranean basin.
Bucefalo: the wine from dried grapes of Lunaria
The story tells that Bucephalus, the horse of Alexander the Great, was afraid of the movements of his own shadow. Young Alexander was the only one who understood the animal’s weakness, and turning his muzzle toward the sun, he threw himself into his saddle.
From then on Bucephalus let no one else mount him, and Alexander had no other steed.
Bucephalus wins, as well as the horse, take the strength, power and energy from the light of the sun.
The Bucefalo wine: withering by “clear cut”
Cantina Orsogna, in collaboration with the University of Perugia, has introduced on some vineyards the technique of “taglio reciso” or a clear cut for the production of dried grapes.
The technique consists of intervening, when the grapes are ripe, by cutting the fruiting shoot so as to interrupt the flow of sap to the clusters.
Cutting increases the sugar concentration of the grapes and the wine will be richer in both alcohol and sweetness, smoothness and roundness.
Biodynamic cultivation and winemaking
Wines from “Bucefalo” dried grapes are made according to Demeter biodynamic standards. The quality of biodynamic grapes and their rich microbiological life is essential for spontaneous fermentation (Demeter does not allow the use of selected yeasts). The result is a wine characterized by a natural residual sugar that gives softness, length and importance to the product.
The 4 Lunaria Bucefalo wines
Four are wines made from Lunaria dried grapes: Malvasia, Pinot Grigio, Montepulciano and Primitivo. The grape varieties differ from each other not only in color aspects, but also in skin aromaticity and ripening period.
Lunaria “Bucefalo” wines are full-bodied, savory, soft with elegant non-astringent tannins and high alcohol content (14 to 15.5 percent). In the mouth they have a powerful and caloric impact, velvety and enveloping, which also makes them suitable as meditation wines.