LE STRADE DEL VINO
by Antonio Mauriello

What is a 'passito'?
I am confused with this word that sometimes I read on Italian wine bottles.

Mike, Ottawa

'Passito' can be translated to 'withered', 'dried'.
It is an Italian wine-making technique used in almost all the Italian regions: the grapes, after harvest, are left to dry to allow the build-up of aromas and sugar (due to the loss of water). Then, they are fermented for a short time, so they can maintain their residual sugar, therefore producing a sweet wine. In the North, usually grapes are dried inside well ventilated lofts, while in the South of Italy is common to see grapes laid out on mats outside, exposed to the sun. (In the Sicilian island of Pantelleria, Moscato grapes are dried on the beach!)
Many wine appellations allow a type of 'passito' in their by-laws and many wine makers have at least one passito in their production portfolio.
Another curiousity: wines made with this technique, in the region of Veneto (Valpolicella) are called 'Recioto'. And the 'Recioto' fully fermented (no residual sugar) are called 'Amarone', that we all know and love!


Salute!

Antonio