Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre
Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Cinque Terre audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type distillery
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Cinque Terre Cinque Terre guide
About Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre
Sciacchetrà is the rare sweet dessert wine of the Cinque Terre DOC, made from partially dried Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes harvested by hand from near-vertical terraces, with approximately one bottle produced from every ten kilograms of fresh grapes.
Sciacchetrà is the most celebrated wine of the Cinque Terre, a rare, amber-coloured sweet wine of considerable complexity, made under the Cinque Terre DOC designation from the three local grape varieties: Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino. The grapes are harvested very late in the season, usually October or November, when they have reached maximum ripeness on the near-vertical terraced hillsides. After harvest, the grapes are laid on wooden racks or hung to partially dehydrate, a process known as appassimento, for several months, concentrating the sugars, acids, and aromatic compounds without fully drying them as is done for Amarone. The resulting must, when pressed, has extraordinary concentration, and the finished wine, typically bottled at 17 per cent alcohol or above in a 375ml format, is golden to amber in colour, with aromas of dried apricot, honey, and wild herbs, and a sweetness that is balanced by acidity and a mineral character from the coastal terroir. Annual production is tiny, a few thousand bottles from all producers combined.
Did you know? Approximately one bottle of Sciacchetrà is produced from every 10 kilograms of fresh grapes, a concentration ratio that reflects the months-long appassimento drying process that transforms the freshly harvested fruit into the semi-raisined grapes used for pressing.
How long should you spend at Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre?
Plan about ~60 min at Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre worth visiting?
Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre is one of the 12 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Cinque Terre, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Cinque Terre
Hear the story of Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre
Preview the Cinque Terre tour free in the Gingerguide app.