This time of year I look forward to the grape harvest in Italy. My first real experience paying homage to the grape was two years ago, and still I drink the wine in memory of those days. This year the harvest was not as plentiful, but my Italian and I set to work and picked every grape we could find.
We decided we would make the local sweet wine, Sciacchetrà, made of select, dried grapes. A real delicacy, and my favorite domestic wine from the Cinque Terre region.
The views alone were reason alone to tangle my way through the vines.
We set the 50 kilos of grapes to dry on a metal net and covered them. In six weeks time the dried grapes would be pressed, natural fermentation would take place, the wine would be filtered, and voilà! Ready to be savoured during the Christmas holidays, to compliment a good dessert.
Cheers to the best Sciacchetrà of Cinque Terre!
I am going to my first wine crush this coming weekend in Sonoma, can’t wait! What a beautiful experience.
How was your grape crushing, Andi? Hope you had a blast!
Hey guys leave one botlle for me to drink! love Taste of this vine Mom
Mom, we will save you a few! But please drink the one you have from last year! 😉
What a lovely activity for an autumn afternoon in Cinque Terre! I’ve never done any grape picking but you’re right – with those views, it looks like a splendid time!
Perhaps a Cinque Terre grape and kale picking is in order? 😉
Look at those grapes! Amazing. Your pictures on twitter have been wonderful.