Passito

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grapes laid out to dry

Passito is the Italian name for liqueur wines that are made from air or sun-dried, almost raisined grapes. A passito therefore belongs to the group of straw wines . The name is explained by the Italian and Latin expression for “ raisin ”, uva passa or racemi passi , which means “dried grapes”, also derived from the Italian verb appassire (“wither”). The drying methods vary from region to region, but mostly the grapes are shaded or, with good airflow, placed on straw mats (hence the name straw wine ) or wooden racks and dried for a few weeks, sometimes months. The aim is to remove water from the grapes and thus increase the sugar and extract concentration. The procedure is ancient. A sweet wine called Passum was already known in ancient Rome .

After drying, the stemmed grapes are pressed slowly and gently. Fermentation takes place in different containers in different regions , for example in very small wooden barrels with a capacity of around 50 liters to steel tanks with a capacity of several thousand liters. However, the fermentation process is always very long, with some passitos it is interrupted a few times, so that the fermentation process is only completed after about two years. The wines are mostly sweet, golden yellow to amber, or reddish brown and quite high in alcohol, although passitos are never fortified . They generally age very well. Passitos, such as the Amarone della Valpolicella, are seldom made dry. The most famous passito is probably the Malvasia delle Lipari , perhaps one of the greatest dessert wines in Italy. But the sweet red Montefalco Sagrantino or the Passito di Pantelleria can also be of remarkable quality; The latter, however, is often fueled, i.e. actually a liquoroso . Passitos are made from both white and red vines. Among the white wines, those from Malvasia are considered to be the most remarkable; among the red wines, the Sagrantiano is said to be particularly suitable for aging as a passito.

Many of the Vin Santi , particularly produced in Trentino and Tuscany , are passitos, or at least musts made from raisined grapes have been added to them.

literature