Saracena Moscato al Governo

Saracena Moscato al Governo has a well-documented history that dates back to the 16th century, when barrels of this product were constantly shipped from Scalea to the papal court. Pope Pius IV always had Saracena Moscato al Governo on his table and Guglielmo Sirleto, the Calabrian Cardinal Prefect of the Vatican Library was also very fond of it. There are even more recent citations of this wine in two accounts of the Grand Tour. Norman Douglas mentions it in 1915, in his book “Old Calabria” where he writes “…lies the prosperous village Saracena, celebrated for its old muscatel wines. They are made from the grape which the Saracens brought over from Maskat”. Even George Gissing in his 1901 book “By the Ionian Sea” remembers it “…as a thing fully worthy of ancient Sybaris, a white wine, pleasant to the palate, called Moscato di Saracena”.
Saracena Moscato al Governo is made using local grape varieties, which are Guarnaccia, Malvasia, Duraca and Moscatello. During the first few days of September, the Moscatello and Duraca varieties are harvested, when they reach the right level of ripeness. They are then hung on lattices in the shade for around a month, as the grapes dry out their sugars and aromas become more concentrated. In the first week of October the Guarnaccia and Malvasia grapes are harvested, the must that is produced from these grapes is then boiled and reduced down to a third of its total volume. Once the must has cooled, the best dried muscatel and duraca grapes are carefully selected and delicately pressed manually (this is usually done by the women). The pressed dried grapes are immersed in the concentrated must and a natural fermentation process is activated thanks to the yeasts present on the skins. The maceration takes around six months and allows for the must to become full of aromas.
The end result is a wine that has a bright amber colour and an intense fragrance: the resinous and aromatic notes combine to give refined hints of dried fig, exotic fruits, almonds, dates and honey. It leaves a subtle, persistent, lingering and elegant flavour on the palate and has a great equilibrium between sweetness and acidity.

Season

The grapes are harvested in September and October. The product is available all year-round.