Velenosi Visciole Cherry Wine (500ml)

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In the past, sour cherry wine was used to make robust and tannic wines more pleasurable. Duke Federico da Montefeltro, according to his trusted biographer and librarian Vespasiano da Bisticci, “quasi non beveva vino se non de ciriege o de granate” (almost drank no wine, except for cherry or sour cherry wine). Afterwards this wine was regarded as a feminine wine, apt to honour the fair sex with its aromas, smoothness and roundness: today it is regarded as a meditation wine, to be savoured and tasted in someone’s company, rediscovering lost tastes. This wine is also called visciolato or, more often, vino di visciole. The Marche region tradition of aromatizing wine is an ancient tradition that, from the Middle Ages and aristocratic castles, through farmers’ wisdom, survived until today. Its region of choice is the area of the municipalities of Candiano and Pergola, in the surroundings of Pesaro, and the Castelli di Jesi, in the area of Ancona. The recipes for this wine significantly differ from place to place, from winery to winery. The basic ingredient for vino di visciole is sour cherry (visciola), an ancient wild cherry species (Prunus cerasus), a deep dark red and slightly sour cherry. Based on the traditional recipe, sour cherries are harvested – they ripen during the first weeks of July – and left to soak in sugar, partly whole and partly smashed. This product is then decanted for a few days and finally filtered. A syrup with a high concentration of sugar is thus obtained, which is then mixed with wine. This triggers a re-fermentation process combining the two different identities (wine and syrup). Fermentation stops when a 14 % alcohol content and the resulting residual sugar makes this product pleasant.

Intense ruby red color with hints of reddish purple. The nose is intense and complex with notes of violet flowers and matured red fruits. On the palate the sapidity and the structure are well balanced between each other. Notes of cherry, blueberry and blackberry jam are particularly highlighted. It pairs well with dry pastries, chocolate cakes and jam tarts

The Non-vintage Vino di Visciole is an unusual red dessert wine made partly from dried cherries. The best I can do to describe it is to draw a comparison with some of the sweeter Sagrantino passitos of Umbria. A long, polished finish rounds out this beautifully balanced wine. Cookies and jam tarts seem like natural choices for pairing.