Moscato passito di Saracena

Technical info

PROPERTIES	DESCRIPTION
WINE NAME	Moscato passito di Saracena
GRAPES	Guarnaccia 50% and Malvasia 50% (grapes from which you get the must). Moscatello di Saracena from 15 to 30 Kg per each must hl and a small percentage of "Adduroca" (dialect word that refers to an aromatic and very scented type of grape).
TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT	Red clay
PRODUCTION AREA	Saracena, c.da Rinni
VINEYARD ELEVATION	350m s.l.m.
REARING SYSTEM	Spurred cordon
PLANTING DISTANCE	m. 2,50 x m. 1,00
NUMBER OF STUMPS PER HECTARE	4600
HARVEST TIME	First decade of October
ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH	14°
IN THE VINEYARD	organic farming with Bioagricert certification, use of dung and green manure
FERMENTATION	in steel tanks with local yeast
AGING	in steel tanks for at least 7 months; in bottle for 6 months before commercialization
SERVING TEMPERATURE	12°
VISUAL EXAMINATION	amber yellow
EXAMINATION BY TESTING	sweet, cool, vast, embracing, persistent with apricot, fig, date and candid orange scents.
OLFACTORY EXAMINATION	intense, very persistent, subtle with apricot, dried figs, exotic fruit and candied orange peel aromas.
VINIFICATION	The Moscato di Saracena is a delicious and refined meditation passito wine that, as it is only produced in this area with a very old procedure, requires a separate vinification of the moscato grape, which is obtained from the local vine and from other grapes. The must obtained from the vinification of the malvasia and guarnaccia grapes is concentrated to increase the sugar content, while the aroma and the particular taste derive from the moscatello grape, picked and dried some weeks before the harvest. The moscatello and adduroca dessicated grapes are selected, manually pressed and then added to the concentrated must (first pressing). After a long and slow fermentation we have an amber yellow passito with gold reflections, with an intense aroma and with a honey, dried figs and exotic fruit flavour.

Its tastiness

The product was mentioned for its testiness by Norman Douglas, who, in 1915, wrote in his book "OldCalabria": "...rises up the flourishing town of Saracena, famous since the past centuries for its moscato. It is obtained from the grape brought by the Saracens from Maskat". And some years earlier, in 1901, George Gissing wrote in his "By the Jonian sea": "The only fully noteworthy thing that I remember about the ancient Sibari is a white wine, pleasant in the mouth, called moscato di Saracena". On the table of the Roman pontiffs, during the XVI century, we find the "Moscato di Saracena", very sought-after and esteemed, that Cardinal Sirleto shipped from Scalea and that became part of the papal wine cellar with full rights.

In addition to dry confectionery

The Moscato di Saracena is obviously perfect with dry confectionery, such as the almond paste, the typical bocconotti made with shortcrust pastry and orange jam, etc..., with fruit cocktail, exceptional with strawberries macerated with moscato, lemon and sugar. In our tastings we successfully combine it with dried figs in their multiple variations (an ancient recipe recommends to fill these fruits with almonds, walnuts, lemon peels and then to bake them), and with Panicelli made with raisins (dumplings with zibibbo grape flavoured with cedar peels, envelopped with leaves of the same citrus fruit and dessicated in the oven). The cheese pairing is particular and extremely tasty, including less seasoned pecorino (we recommend to taste them with the addition of honey or jam) and blue cheeses.

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