The Sciacchetrà of the Cinque Terre: symbol of a land and Slow Food Presidium
The Sciacchetrà of the Cinque Terre: symbol of a land and Slow Food Presidium
“that proud Sciacchetrà who lives in the five leafy lands”
(Gabriele D'Annunzio)
We cannot talk about this legendary sweet wine without first making a geographical digression.
Sciacchetrà is in fact the wine symbol of the Cinque Terre, that is, that natural park, a UNESCO heritage site of absolute and poignant beauty, where the vineyards literally grow on cliffs with extreme slopes and where cultivating the vineyard is only possible thanks to the support of dry stone walls and terraces built centuries ago and with the help of flying wheelbarrows. Anyone who has visited those places knows that this is not rhetoric…
Sciacchetrà is produced in Manarola, Corniglia, Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Monterosso and La Spezia (in the Tramonti di Biassa and Tramonti di Campiglia areas) and is obtained from three vines:
Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino.
According to the rules, one year of aging is sufficient, but in practice the years of rest often reach three.
It should be drunk at 12-14 degrees, perhaps eating a slice of Genoese pandolce .
It is a singular passito, unique in its genesis and result, produced primarily with forest grapes, plus Albarola and Vermentino, left to dry away from the sun, in ventilated areas, for over 70 days. After the first of November, as tradition dictates, the bunches are carefully destemmed, sometimes selecting the grapes by hand which are pressed and vinified in steel tanks, in contact with the skins; the wine is often aged in small barrels, sometimes in steel or in amphora.
The characteristics of Sciacchetrà
Golden, amber with iridescent reflections, intense on the nose with hints of honey, harmonious and persistent in the mouth, never cloying, with a strong structure and very fine tannic texture, it has an ethereal entry and a savory finish of the sea, an aftertaste of almond and dried figs.
We at Fine Taste love drinking it pure, sipping it slowly, thinking about the summer to come.
