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Not On My Christmas List
I had to make a confession recently to the RWM* as he was fretting about his wine collection, which is temporarily in storage in the US. While he was wringing his hands over the probable weather conditions, how to ensure temperature control while in transit, and in general ruminating about the vinous treasures he had left behind, I piped up and said, “I am really not a big fan of Chateau d’Yquem.” While not a wound to the heart, he was clearly startled and asked me what on earth could I prefer.
Passito, I responded. For quite some time I had no idea they even existed – which is not surprising, because I never remember wines in the infinite detail that he does. In the moment, I adore the wine that he lovingly matches to foods, and then their memory recedes in my brain because it is fully occupied with my next cooking project or the next book I am going to read (it should be noted that I don’t read scholarly tomes, mostly light novels, histories and obviously cookbooks.) For me, Passito wines are lighter, not so heavy-handed in their flavors and degree of sweetness as the ones from the highly esteemed House of Y.
Raisins By Another Name
I don’t remember exactly in which visit to Italy I had my introduction to Passito, but I have actually
never forgotten the moment. After a lunch, a friend of my Italy Insider offered us a glass. Since then, I have had a variety of them with last courses and even found that I really liked red wine grape Recioto with chocolate and white wine grape Passito more with fruit or spice based desserts. I realize that this may be heresy to some Italians, who think you should just contemplate life after a meal with a glass of Passito perhaps accompanied by a dry but dunkable cookie. So, herewith is my somewhat simplified explanation of why you should go to your favorite wine store and see what they have to offer this holiday season in Italian Passito.
Ah, The Romans
Like almost anything in Italy, Passito has a direct history to Roman culture. Their passum was a sweet wine made from grapes that were laid out in the sun to shrivel and dry (the past participle of the latin verb pando – to spread out – is passum for those of you who had to suffer through Latin classes). This process became an art form in the creation of Passito wines. Very little is made, because you lose a lot of grapes in the process. Hence the smaller bottles and higher prices. The term apassimento is unique to the production of this type of wine, where the grapes are left to dry on straw mats in ventilated areas before fermentation. And there are different types of wine made from the appassimento process. The wines are aged in a variety of wood casks for a few years before bottled for sale. Every maker has their own formula and process for creating the aromas and flavors that you perceive and taste in the glass.
Passito Grocery Cart
Vin Santo — every region has their version and many private individuals make their own, but the most famous ones come from Tuscany. While it is a sweet wine, the fermentation of the dried grapes is halted before all the sugars have fermented. It’s lighter, perhaps drier (maybe a touch of welcome saltiness in the taste). It is usually made with white grapes such as Trebbiano and Malvasia. One of the most famous in the US is labeled Vin Santo Del Chianti Classico DOC. And even in the classification of Vin Santo, you can buy some that are dolce, (really sweet) amabile (less sweet) abboccato (somewhere in between) and secco (dry).
Recioto, a specialty of the Veneto made from red wine grapes (Corvina and Rondinella, for example) is the progenitor of one of the RWM’s favorite red wines – Amarone (not the sweet kind, but rather the steak kind). It is exclusively made in Valpolicella in the province of Verona. Tradition has it that only the grapes from the outside of the cluster are used for Recioto della Valpolicella, as they are the sweetest due to their constant exposure to the sun. Treat yourself with one from Quintarelli or Bussola. I have been treated and have loved them both.
In Sicily, the Zibbibo grape (a derivation from the Arab name zabib, for raisins) may be the oldest known cultivar of grape that has not been genetically modified, and is used to make Passito wines. And from the Island of Pantelleria off the coast of Sicily, it is Ben Rye from DonnaFugata that for many remains 
the epitome of Passito wine. I was blown away by its flavor and aroma when I first had it at Enoteca Da Lucia in Bologna. In my former neighborhood of make believe, we used to buy it regularly at Unwined. Try it, you really do get the taste of apricots and mixed candied fruits.
Moving to the high heel of the Italian peninsula, the Salento region of Puglia, I just tasted a new-to-me Passito called Ambra. Very candied orange flavor and orange blossom aroma. And then from Le Marche you can taste one with the addition of dried and wild cherries called Vino Visciole, really lovely with salty cheeses as well as berry desserts. I have even come to appreciate (some but not all) those peculiar dry cookies that are regional Italian specialties and are invariably served with a Passito wine. In fact, there is a Passito called Pass The Cookies from Di Lenardo , according to the folks at Unwined . I am really tempted just from the label, which also says “In my next life, I’ll be thin.” I will definitely contemplate this thought with a glass or two.
*Resident Wine Maniac
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years, Nancy Pollard writes a blog about food in all its aspects – recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources and food related issues.
