Moscato "Passito" di Saracena

After a thorough tasting of the local olive oil and homemade sausage, our hosts told us that friends of theirs make their own wine and that we could have a glass after our digestive walk. After an obligatory sambucca at the grandmother's at the other end of the old town, we arrived at said friends' house and I was very surprised to come across a small miracle of winemaking.

Luigi Viola opened the Cantine Viola in 1999 and began to produce Moscato wine according to an old tradition, a recipe that was written down and rediscovered over five hundred years ago.

The "Moscato Passito di Saracena" is made from three varieties of grapes. The Moscatello di Saracena, Guarnaccia and Malvasia. The three phases of production make the "Moscato Passito di Saracena" so unique: first the Moscato grape is harvested and hung to dry, then the Guarnaccia and Malvasia harvest is mixed, and the resulting mash is condensed by boiling. Only now are the dried Moscato grapes, selected and crushed by hand, added and the six-month fermentation process begins.

In the meantime, "Moscato Passito di Saracena" has been recognised by the SlowFood Association as a quality brand and is widely distributed. About three to four thousand bottles are produced per year, as only about thirty kilos of Moscato are made from one hundred kilos of grapes and the family cultivates on 3 hectares of protected land.

Alessandro Viola explained to us that in addition to the "Moscato Passito di Saracena", red wine (Rossoviola, from 100% Magliocco dolce) and grappa are also produced from the Moscato grape.

The Moscato has a great colour. Amber. It is dense, smells intensely sweet and you don't want to stop drinking it. Like many sweet wines, it goes very well with some cheese, blue cheese on the sweet side or other sweet dishes.

Although it was raining cats and dogs and it was already dark outside, this wine revealed a golden glow, a brief moment under the Calabrian sun, a great experience that I will never forget.