Elba Aleatico Passito

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Location of the island

Elba Aleatico Passito is the name of a DOCG ( Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita ) and a dessert wine made in this appellation , which is also called Aleatico Passito dell'Elba . Like the DOC / DOP Elba ( Denominazione di Origine Controllata / Prodetta ), the DOCG Elba Aleatico Passito covers the entire area of ​​the 224 square kilometer island off the Tuscan coast . The deep red, full-bodied sweet wine with a shimmering purple is made exclusively from aleatico grapes in the manner of a passito . The vineyards are now less than 20 hectares, often in small plots, spread across the entire island. They are mainly in the coastal plains; the terraced slopes, which were previously widespread, have been largely abandoned. Overall, the area under vines on the island decreased significantly with the rise of tourism.

The Aleatico used to be a valued and much sought-after wine that was also known outside of Italy and had a great reputation . With the phylloxera disaster , a lot of vineyards were lost, the sharp decline in demand for sweet wines, which began at the beginning of the 20th century, further reduced production, so that this remarkable Passito was largely forgotten outside of Italy. Today a cooperative, in which most of the Aleatico producing companies are united, tries to bring production up to the latest standards as well as to promote the marketing of the wine.

The award of the DOCG seal within the DOC Elba was a further step in the revitalization of this product. The Elba Aleatico Passito received DOCG status in 2011, i.e. at a time when this highest Italian wine rating had already been overtaken by the new regulation of the designation of origin by the EU in 2009. However, since the old names are under protection and are more widely known than the new names, they are often used. This is especially true for the DOCG seal, which indicates a further increase in quality compared to the DOC (DOP) wines.

Location, soils and climate

Elba, by far the largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago , is just a few kilometers off the mainland coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea . The island, which extends in an east-west direction, is mountainous in its western part with the 1019 meter high Monte Capanne as the highest elevation.

The vineyards are spread across all the communities on the island. Of the former well over 1500 hectares, there are still less than 200 hectares today, of which around 14 hectares are planted with Aleatico, of which around 231 hectoliters of DOCG wine were produced in 2017. After the phylloxera disaster, many vineyards were no longer recultivated. With the advent of tourism, a labor shortage caused by the rural population migrating to the tourist centers, land speculation and urban sprawl led to a further, ongoing decline in viticulture on Elba. Above all, the formerly terraced slopes that were difficult to cultivate, but some of which provided excellent quality, were abandoned in many places.

The soils of the island are diverse, most of them are poor in nutrients, not very deep, loose and permeable. In the west, soils of weathering granite dominate, partly loosely sandy brown earth , in places also terra rossa , which also occurs in other areas of the island. In the plains of the central part there are somewhat deeper loam soils , barren clay and marl soils , in the eastern part viticulture is mainly carried out on loose sand and gravel soils .

The climate on Elba is Mediterranean . The summers are hot with little rainfall, but there is usually so much rain that the water stress on the vines remains moderate. In addition, drip irrigation is permitted, but this is only used by some larger farms. Temperatures occasionally reach 30 ° C, but very rarely rise above 35 ° C. In addition, the sea ​​wind blowing during the day softens the temperatures and aerates the vines. Rain falls mainly between October and March. The north-west side receives considerably more precipitation than the south-west, which lies in the rain shadow of Monte Capanne. Mild frosty nights occur, occasionally light snowfall. Late frosts with damage potential are very rare.

Wine and wine characteristics

The grape harvest usually begins at the end of August and lasts until the first week of September, sometimes longer. The grapes are carefully picked by hand, damaged, rotten or moldy berries are sorted out. The drying process is practiced differently by the individual producers; today the majority of the grapes are dried in roofed, laterally open devices with good air circulation but without direct sunlight for about two weeks; after a week the grapes are turned. When dry, they lose up to 60% of their weight. The sugar content must be at least 30% at the end of the drying process. Then the grapes are destemmed , lightly squeezed and mashed , about 5–6 days; after racking the must slow fermentation in fermentation tanks, with better qualities in chestnut or oak barrels. A Passito Aleatico dell'Elba can be marketed on March 1st of the year following the harvest at the earliest, but good qualities mature for a few years.

The regulations stipulate a minimum fermentation alcohol of 12 percent by volume, with a potential alcohol degree of 19%; this corresponds to about 100 grams / liter of residual sugar . Most DOCG wines have 14 or 15 percent by volume. With a very high level of natural fermentation alcohol, the residual sugar content can also be just under 100 grams / liter. Most DOCG wines are sold with around 120–150 grams of residual sugar. The total acidity must be at least 6 grams / liter, but is usually a little higher.

A young Elba Aleatico Passito is dark ruby ​​red, aged ones get the purple, almost inky color that is typical of this Passito. Carefully vinified and aged products never appear superficially sweet due to the harmonious acid structure, but surprisingly fresh despite their full-bodiedness, their richness and the high residual sugar content. Young wines that are bottled early often have somewhat aggressive tannins , while older wines are smooth and round. The taste impressions are varied: aromas of wild berries and cherries, but also nuances of dried apricots and dried plums can be perceived. For dessert, an Aleatico Passito dell'Elba should be chilled well, drunk at around 12 ° C, on its own, as a Vino da Meditazione a little warmer.

history

It is historically certain that at the time of the Etruscan rule over the island there was already intensive viticulture; perhaps the winemaking tradition goes back even further. During the Roman era , Elba was an important export region for wines. Pliny the Elder mentions it in the Naturalis historia as Insula vini ferax ( island, rich [actually fertile ] in wine ) Viticulture will also have been the main livelihood of the population in the following centuries, but historical sources are missing. Before the phylloxera disaster, around half of the arable land was planted with vines.

There are some legends about Napoleon and the Aleatico; he seems to have appreciated this wine very much - and to have attributed the strength and health of the local population to the enjoyment of this wine. A text passage in the novella The Paintings by Ludwig Tieck shows that this wine was known and appreciated in middle-class circles in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. In it, the protagonist of the novel, Eulenböck, a painter (and forger) and a wine connoisseur, compares a large number of wines (including the Constantia from South Africa) and comes to the conclusion that none of the wines is as good as the Aleatico.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the demand for dessert wines fell sharply worldwide; some products disappeared completely from the market, others, such as the Passito Aleatico dell'Elba, were largely forgotten outside of their production area. This also led to an investment freeze in the wine-growing regions concerned and thus to a reduction in the quality of the goods produced. It is only recently that some of these formerly world-famous wines have been able to reposition themselves on the international wine market.

Others

There are various other Passiti from the aleatico grape on the market, especially IGT ( Indicazione Geografica Tipica ) wines from Tuscany and some DOC wines. The DOC wines come from Salice Salentino northeast of Lecce , from the very small DOC pergola in the Marche between Urbino and Jesi and from the southern Tuscan DOC Sovana west of Lake Bolsena . These passiti consist of 85% Aleatico and are mostly semi-sweet. The Aleatico di Gradoli and the Aleatico di Puglia are usually not passiti, but there is also a version made from dried grapes of both wines.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Production regulations and description. (PDF) wineacts.it, accessed on June 15, 2020 (Italian, official text of the denomination).
  2. ↑ VQPRD D'ITALIA 2018 (Viticulture in Figures 2018). federdoc.com, accessed March 3, 2020 (Italian).
  3. ↑ Extreme values ​​on Elba ital.
  4. ↑ The Aleatico DOCG, made from partially dried, raisined grapes , on saperata.it, accessed on August 11, 2016
  5. ↑ Oxford Companion (see literature) Keyword: Elba
  6. ↑ Note by author: Napoleon seems to have been a lover of sweet wines, because even during his exile on St. Helena he imported considerable quantities of a sweet wine, Constantia, from South Africa.
  7. ↑ Historical information (see web link)
  8. ^ The paintings in the Gutenberg project
  9. ↑ Original quote: “Well, that's the cost, friends, and understand me! But I couldn't put you on, you, king of all wines, you, rose-red aleatico, flower and bloom of all wine spirit, milk and wine, flower and sweetness, fire and mildness at the same time! You don't drink, taste, sip or lick this miracle fellow; Instead, a new organ opens up to the blessed, which cannot be described to the ignorant and sober. ”(Ludwig Tieck: The paintings )
  10. ↑ Overview of the DOCs that are planted with Aleatico, ital.