Italy - How Sweet It Is.

Some countries are known for their dessert wines. Hungary with its Tokay, Germany with their Trockenbeerenausleses and Eisweins, not to mention France and its Sauternes. Even Canada is known for its Ice Wine. But when you think about sweet wines, Italy is not a country that typically comes to mind. A shame really considering sweet wines are produced throughout the country. The best part about Italian dessert wines is their balance of sweetness with acidity.

There are two techniques used in making dessert wines, Vendemmia Tardiva (late-harvest) or Appassimento (drying). Vendemmia Tardiva is just as it sounds. The grapes are left to hang on the vine until they are over-ripe. During this hang-time, the grapes’ sugars concentrate and if conditions are right, a mold occurs. This is called Botrytis Cinerea or Noble Rot. Normally, rot on grapes is a bad thing but this type of mold is a really good thing. This Noble Rot is what makes Sauternes so special giving the wines that hint of apricot. It can also be present in some Ice Wines.

Appassimento is the most common technique used in Italy to make sweet wines. Once harvested, the grapes are either laid out on bamboo mats in loft areas or on volcanic stones to dry in the sun. The latter technique is famous on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria. Once dried, the grapes are crushed and vinified. This doesn’t usually occur until January or February of the following year. During the drying process, 100 kilos (220 lbs) of grapes yields 60 kilos (132 lbs) of dried grapes.

In the Veneto region, the drying process is referred to as Recioto. Amarone wines use the late-harvest and drying techniques. The reason that those wines aren’t sweet is that they are fermented dry meaning that there is no residual sugar left in the wines. Recioto della Valpolicella is made with the same grapes as Amarone & Valpolicella (Corvina & Rondinella) but in this case the fermentation is halted leaving residual sugar. In older times, sweeter wines were more desireable than dry wines and Amarone was actually failed Recioto. Other notable Veneto dessert wines are Recioto di Soave and Recioto di Gambellara. Both of these use the Garganega grape.

Another interesting dessert wine from the Veneto is Torcolato. Torcolato is made with the Vespaiolo grape. The grapes’ name comes from the Italian word Vespa meaning wasp (not the scooter) because the ripe grapes attract them. Torcolato means twisted. This refers to the way the grape bunches are tied for drying before being hung in special loft areas. This wine has raisin, orange, vanilla, green tea and roasted nut flavors. Maculan is the largest producer of Torcolato.


In Tuscany you find Vin Santo (Holy Wine). There are many theories as to why the wine has that name. Some will tell you that it was the wine used during the mass or that a visiting priest from Greece said that the wine reminded him of a wine from his hometown of Santos. In actual fact, it is most likely because the wine was usually vinified during Holy Week.

The most common Vin Santo is made with Trebbiano Toscano grapes which are dried after harvesting. After vinification, it is aged in small 100 litre (26 gallon) barrels called caratelli in a room known as a Vin Santaia. Usually wine is stored in cool cellars to age but the Vin Santaia is actually in a loft area that is not temperature controlled. The wine is dormant during the cool months and ferments throughout the warmer months. To avoid having the barrel’s bungs pop during fermentation, the bungs on the caratelli are covered over with cement with the year etched into it. This process usually goes on for 4-5 years. There is also a red Vin Santo made from Sangiovese grapes. It’s called Occhio di Pernice.

Sicily probably has the largest selection of dessert wines. Malvasia, Moscato & Zibibbo are the grapes used. Pantelleria is a volcanic island located between Sicily and Tunisia. Zibibbo aka Muscat of Alexandria is grown here and is the varietal used in both Moscato di Pantelleria and Passito di Pantelleria. These are probably the most famous dessert wines in Italy. Other Sicilian sweet wines include Moscato di Siracusa (which was almost extinct), Moscato di Noto and Malvasia delle Lipari. The latter is produced on the islands of Eolie and Lipari in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is one of Sicily’s oldest wines and with minimal production, it’s not to be passed up if you get the opportunity.

Other wines worth mentioning include Sciacchetrà from Liguria and Picolit from Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Sciacchetrà is made with the Ligurian varietals Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. Picolit is from the grape variety of the same name. The grapes’ berries are very small and subject to a genetic mutation that causes them to spontaneously abort the flowers on newly formed clusters. As the flowers ultimately become grapes, less than half of Picolit’s flowers survive to become grapes. You can expect wildflowers, acacia, chestnut, honey and ripe apricots in this wine.

Try these wines with biscotti or strong cheeses like gorgonzola. They are also fabulous on their own as ‘meditation’ wines or as an accompaniment with a cigar.

At least that’s how we do it in Italy.