Pantelleria (wine)

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Location of the island

White wines as well as sweet and liqueur wines are produced under the name Pantelleria DOC ( Denominazione di origine controllata / Protetta ) . Even sparkling wines can be produced. The cultivation and production area is the Italian island of Pantelleria , which lies between Sicily and Cap Bon on the northeastern tip of Tunisia . The island belongs to the Sicilian Free Community Consortium Trapani . The wines have had a "controlled designation of origin " (Denominazione di origine controllata - DOC) since 1971 , which was last updated on March 7, 2014.

The appellation, which was established in 1971, produces a total of eight wines, liqueur wines , sparkling wine and sparkling wine ( Frizzante ). Originally the DOC / DOP certificate was only valid for the Moscato di Pantelleria and the Passito di Pantelleria , but this was changed by the modification of the regulations in 2000 and 2011. Except for the Pantelleria Bianco (also called Frizzante), which can contain a maximum of 15% other grapes approved in the region of Sicily, all wines produced on the island consist of the white wine grape Muscat d'Alexandrie called on Pantelleria "Zibibbo" . In addition to these DOC wines, Pantelleria IGP wines are mainly made from Zibibbo, and simple table and bottle wines are made from Zibibbo and other white and red grapes. The latter are consumed on the island itself and are rarely sold.

The island is of volcanic origin. The highest peaks are over 800 meters in the center of the island. Viticulture is practiced in the coastal plains and on the slopes of the central volcanic cones up to about 400 meters.

history

The winemaking tradition on Pantelleria goes back very far into ancient times. Viticulture was probably already practiced in this way by the Phoenicians , and it is possible that the development of the wines was not unlike today.

The island's sweet wines suddenly became famous towards the end of the 19th century when large wineries from Marsala intervened in the previously only small-scale and hardly export-oriented production. The rapid upswing ended, however, with the general decline in demand for sweet dessert wines . Today these sweet wines are experiencing a certain renaissance, including those from Pantelleria, some of which are among the best products of this type of wine in Italy.

The viticulture at Pantelleria, but especially the educational system of the vines, was established in December 2014 viticulture rare heroic example of the ( rare Example of heroic viniculture ) in the UNESCO added -Weltkulturerbe.

Location, climate and soils

Vineyards and other agricultural crops on Pantelleria

Pantelleria is located in the south-central Mediterranean, about 100 kilometers southwest of Sicily and 60 kilometers east of Cape Bon in Tunisia. It is roughly on the same latitude as the Spanish sweet wine regions of Jerez and Málaga .

The climate is subtropical and largely semi-arid . Fresh water is rare on the entire island. The summers are hot and dry, with frequent peaks above 35 ° Celsius. The summer heat is through the hot south wind sirocco and the coming from the east, also warm Levante grew. The winters are moderately warm. Precipitation falls mainly between the end of August and March with the precipitation peaks in December and January. Cold air currents, mostly foothills of a mistral, are occasionally noticeable, especially in the northern part of the island. Overall, the amount of precipitation of around 500 millimeters / year is sufficient for vines adapted to the cultivation, but the vines suffer from water stress in the summer months, especially because the rainfall is unevenly distributed and the barren soil can hold little water. The western part of the island is preferred over the eastern and southeastern parts.

The mainly volcanic rubble, in places also slightly loamy-sandy soils are not very deep due to the constant wind erosion, but very well suited for viticulture. In order to keep the loss of soil as low as possible, the vineyards are relatively small, terraced on the slopes and protected from the wind by stone walls. For the same reason, the vines are planted in hollows in the ground ( called Pantelleria conca ) and raised like a small tree without support, a method that is called alberello (= sapling ) on the island .

Wines and wine characteristics

For all DOC certified wines, the grapes must be grown on the island, including those used for the preparation of the Spritung required of liqueur wines alcohol are used. All winemaking , aging and bottling operations must take place on the island. The vineyards may be planted with a maximum of 4,000 vines per hectare, the maximum permitted yield of 10 tons of grapes / hectare is still very generous, but is clearly undercut by quality-conscious businesses. The wines may be put on the market in the year following the harvest at the earliest, a Moscato from March and a Passito from July. However, products from preferred locations and vintages mature significantly longer.

The two most famous products are the "Moscato di Pantelleria" and the "Passito di Pantelleria". There is also a slightly reinforced version of both, the Pantelleria – Moscato liquoroso and the Pantelleria – Passito liquoroso. Since the sprinkling is very mild, the liqueur wines differ only slightly from the non-fortified wines; However, they always have higher alcohol levels (usually 15-16 percent by volume) and often a little more residual sugar , but are generally lower in acid .

A bottle of Passito di Pantelleria
  • The Moscato di Pantelleria DOC is made from grapes picked late (usually early to mid-September), which are gently pressed after a mash fermentation of different lengths from winery to winery and then slowly ferment in steel or concrete tanks. The young wines are then grown on small chestnut barrels, and more recently also on oak barrels, and are stored until they are bottled at least until February of the following year, but usually significantly longer. These wines have a minimum alcohol level of 11 percent by volume (but mostly 13-14) and at least 60 grams (mostly 80-120) of unfermented sugar; the total acidity is at least 4.0 g / l, but is much higher in good products. These wines are pale yellow to golden yellow in color, older wines are also slightly amber in color. In addition to the clear muscat tone, various fruit and blossom aromas can be felt. The sweetness is usually moderate, some even appear semi-sweet rather than sweet.
  • The Passito di Pantelleria DOC is obtained from grapes from different harvests, some of which are dried on wooden racks for two to three weeks; mostly these are grapes picked relatively early to give the wine the desired acidity. On the other hand, a passito consists of late harvested grapes. Some winemakers add a serving of raisined grapes to the slowly fermenting must to intensify the aromas. The fermentation process usually breaks off by itself due to the very high sugar content between 13 and 15 percent by volume, if not, the fermentation is stopped. After filtering, the young wine is drawn into small barrels to mature. According to the DOC regulations, the minimum alcohol content is at least 14 percent by volume (with a remainder of at least 6.0% potential alcohol content); the wines must still have 100 grams / liter of residual sugar (usually over 120 grams) with at least 4.5% total acidity. A successful Passito di Pantelleria can be counted among the best dessert wines in Italy. Young wines are dark golden yellow, slightly older they darken further to a bright amber color. Despite the existing but not intrusive sweetness, a carefully made passito is harmonious and balanced, the nutmeg tone is less prominent than with the moscato. In addition to the fruit and blossom aromas, which are also characteristic of a Moscato, fig and melon nuances as well as caramel tones and aromas of dried fruits, especially apricots and dates, come to the fore later.

In addition to these two main wines and the similar, slightly fortified Liquoroso variants, four other DOC-certified products are coming onto the market from the appellation:

  • Pantelleria Moscato dorato : A rather rarely offered variant of Moscato di Pantelleria with a minimum fermentation alcohol of 15.5 percent by volume and at least 100 grams / liter of residual sugar. Usually rather low in acid and therefore often a bit intrusive in its sweetness. In very good years, however, it is a top product of great density and harmony.
  • Pantelleria Moscato spumante : A sweet, usually in the Charmat produced sparkling wine with about 12 volume percent alcohol and 30-40 grams of residual sugar. This sparkling wine may consist of up to 15% grapes that are authorized in the region of Sicily.
  • Pantelleria Zibibbo dolce : A sweet frizzante , single variety made from Zibibbo grapes.
  • Pantelleria bianco : A dry still wine (occasionally also as a frizzante) with a pronounced muscat tone, also made from single varieties of Zibibbo grapes. Often very voluminous and heavy.

In addition to these DOC wines, there are a number of wines from the island that bear the IGP ( Indicazione geografica prodetta - formerly DO Denominazione d'origine ) seal of origin . As a rule, these are wines that do not meet the requirements of the DOC, but which can often be of considerable quality. The characteristics of these wines correspond to those mentioned above.

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Disciplinare di Produzione della Denominazione di Origine Controllata (production regulations and description). (PDF) In: ismeamercati.it. November 27, 2017, accessed July 7, 2018 (Italian).
  2. ↑ Oxford Companion (see literature) Keyword: Phenicia
  3. ↑ Explanatory text, photos and video
  4. ↑ Climate data of the island
  5. ↑ Oxford Companion (see literature) Keyword: Pantelleria
  6. ↑ Liquid Gold (see literature) p. 281
  7. ↑ Liquid Gold (see literature) pp. 279–281