Elba Aleatico Passito (Italy)
Aleatico is a red wine grape from Italy.
Elba Aleatico Passito is a sweet style red wine made from dried grapes.
Flavors
 Red Cherry |
 Lychee |
 Wild Strawberry |
 Roses |
Cherry, Lychee and Red Fruit are typical flavors for Elba Aleatico Passito, with hints of Flowers.
Profile
Elba Aleatico Passito is a full body, very sweet passito wine:
| SUGAR | Very Sweet | ||
| BODY | Full | ||
| FRUIT | Medium | ||
| ACIDITY | Medium | ||
| TANNINS | Low | ||
| |||
Food Pairing
 Meditation |
 Fruit Cake |
 Fruit |
 Chocolate |
Elba Aleatico Passito is a meditation wine. In the island of Elba it is traditionally served with Schiaccia Briaca (Drunken Cake).
Pairing Suggestions
Sweet passito wines pair best with desserts:
Biscotti. Almond Cookie. Pecan Pie. Nuts.
Fruit Cake. Panettone. Crumb Cake.
Dried Fruit. Candied Fruit.
Hazelnut Chocolate.
Blue Cheese.
About Passito
Passito is a word for wines made by the appassimento process where grapes are dried on straw mats, or by air ventilation, in order to concentrate the flavors and sweetness. After three to six months the grapes are pressed and the juice is fermented until it reaches the desired level of sweetness and alcohol.
About Aleatico
The Aleatico grape is thought to be native to Italy, primarily Toscana (Tuscany).
In Toscana, the Aleatico dell’Elba Passito DOCG is dedicated to passito-style sweet wines.
In Lazio the Aleatico di Gradoli DOC allows for producing a dry red wine, a sweet passito wine, and a fortified wine (Aleatico di Gradoli Liquoroso).
In Puglia, the Aleatico di Puglia DOC allows for producing two wines: Dolce Naturale (naturally sweet) and Liquoroso Dolce (fortified), both containing a minimum of 85% Aleatico
In Italy, very few dessert wines receive the high DOCG level, making Aleatico dell’Elba Passito a rarity.
In Chile, Aleatico is known as Red Moscatel.
Toscana (Tuscany)
Toscana is famous for the city of Firenze, and red wines made from Sangiovese.
Red Wines:
Chianti
Chianti Classico
Rosso di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino
Rosso di Montepulciano
Nobile di Montepulciano
Montecucco Sangiovese
Morellino di Scansano
Super Tuscan:
Super Tuscan
Bolgheri Rosso
Carmignano Rosso
Suvereto Rosso
Val di Cornia Rosso
White Wines:
Rosé Wines:
Sweet Wines:
Toscana
Toscana is most famous for the majestetic city of Firenze.
On the wine side, the region is best known for the Sangiovese based red wines:
- Chianti Classico
- Brunello di Montalcino
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
A copy of the Bordeaux Blend, named Super Tuscan, is also popular all over the world.
Vermentino is the best known white wine from the coastline, and Vernaccia is an internationally recognised white wine from the medieval town of San Gimignano.
On the sweet side, Vin Santo ("Holy Wine") is the national drink in Tuscany.
Toscana has 11 DOCGs:
Sangiovese:
Chianti DOCG (70% Sangiovese)
Chianti Classico DOCG (80% Sangiovese)
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (100% Sangiovese)
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG (70% Sangiovese)
Montecucco Sangiovese DOCG (90% Sangiovese)
Morellino di Scansano DOCG (85% Sangiovese)
Super Tuscan:
Carmignano DOCG (Sangiovese, Cab Sauvignon/Franc, Merlot)
Suvereto Rosso DOCG (Cab Sauvignon, Merlot)
Val di Cornia Rosso DOCG (Sangiovese, Cab Sauvignon, Merlot)
White:
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG (85% Vernatcha)
Passito:
The Ideal Glass
The Bordeaux glass is perfect for a bodied red wine.
It is taller than other red wine glasses, and has a slimmer bowl.
The large size of the glass allows the bouquet to develop. It smooths out rough edges, plays down tannins, and allows the wines to achieve balance.
The slimmer bowl sends the wine directly to the back of the mouth for maximum taste.