So far I have not managed to go to the Cinque Terre to experience the region’s famous, often dizzying, wine terraces, created on the steep coast with high dry stone walls. This is mainly because the 12 km long coastal strip of the Ligurian Riviera north of La Spezia is almost chronically overcrowded. The fact that the Cinque Terre is a World Heritage Site and is a national park in its entirety does not make it any easier to find a date when accommodation and restaurants and, above all, wineries are easily accessible.
The approximately 100 hectares of vineyards in the Cinque Terre are predominantly planted with the white grape varieties Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino, which all DOC wines in the Cinque Terre must consist of at least 80%. The famous sweet wine of the area, the Sciacchetrà Cinque Terre, is also made from these grape varieties. Buying a Sciacchetrà is not that easy in this country, as only a few wine shops offer the wine online. The 2005 Cinqueterre Sciacchetrà from the Azienda Agricola Capellini, which we tasted and which was purchased at a wine auction, consists mainly of grapes of the Bosco variety, as well as Vermentino and Albarola. The vines, which are trained using the Guyot system, grow on soils that are predominantly sandy, one third silt and some clay, on a subsoil of marine deposits and various sandstone formations. The vines are spread over more than 200 micro-plots, located between 150 and 400 m above sea level.
At Capellini, the grapes intended for the Sciacchetrà are first selected during the harvest and then gently dried in the shade for two months until around mid-November. After pressing, the wine ferments spontaneously and very slowly in stainless steel tanks until, after about a year, it reaches an alcohol content at which the yeasts can no longer ferment the wine.
The name of the wine is said to be derived from the pressing and drying of the wine. Sciacca means “crush” in the Ligurian dialect and stands for pressing the grapes, trai means “put aside” and is said to refer to placing the grapes on the drying racks.
2005 Cinqueterre Sciacchetrà, Azienda Agricola Capellini (Tasted Wines)
Transparent brown with a lightened, delicate olive-colored edge. On the nose, herbal candy, dark honey, dried fruit and balsamic notes. On the palate, a round of Mediterranean herbs, enveloped in subtle sugar candy, juicy with a beautiful, well-balanced acidity. On the very long finish, herbal and citrus notes and a little white pepper. Excellent wine.