Sentivento Abraxas Passito di Pantelleria 2017 (500mL)

Pantelleria, a small, volcanic Italian island off the coast of Sicily, off way toward Tunesia, the continent of Africa. The island is famous for its intense winds and dry stone wall terraces. But also its distinctive, intense wine.

Sentivento Abraxas has its winery being one of the highest on the island, nestled on the slopes of the Montagna Grande at about 600 meters above sea level, which helps ensure quality maturation and excellent ventilation. Apart from tending vines and making wines, the winery also offer hospitality, with traditional dammusi (local stone houses) available for guests who want to immerse themselves in the island’s unique landscape and wine culture.

Talking about the appellation of Passito di Pantelleria DOC, it’s a famous sweet wine made from 100% Zibbibo, local name of Muscat de Alexandria. The variety can be found almost anywhere around Mediterranean, possibly spread by Hellenic colonizers since the time of antiquity.

To make this sweet wine, after harvest, first and foremost is Sun-drying: The grapes must be subjected, either fully or in part, either while still on the vine or after harvest. This concentrates the sugars, acids, and aromatic compounds. The DOC specifies that the sun-dried grapes may be added to the fermenting must or wine even after November 30th of the harvest year to reach the desired concentration.

The wine must have a minimum total potential alcoholic volume of 20.00% vol, with at least 14.00% vol of that being realized. (This wine from Sentivento Abraxas is 14.5%)

While the rules allow for variation, typical Passito di Pantelleria will have a high residual sugar content, generally above 100 g/L, providing its intense sweetness.

The wine is deep golden coloured. And its aroma offers sultana, dried figs, dried apricot. Then floral notes like rose, jasmine. Mixed citrus, chestnut honey, and sometimes nuttiness. Overall, often described like baked tangerine that had been marinated in sugar syrup.  Much more complex than more common passito made from either Trebbiano or Garganega.

Always serve the wine well chilled. It is most excellent to go with desserts based on almonds (like Sicilian pastries), fruit-based desserts, or Italian Christmas breads like Panettone. Alternatively use savory food, find certain Cheese, especially aged, hard cheeses and savory/spicy cheeses, including blue cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola, sometimes served with fig jam.

Some folks considered also this as an excellent “meditation wine”—meant to be sipped slowly and enjoyed on its own.