Legendary wine, wine of the gods, come down to us from distant prehistory, legend of the wandering peoples of Asia Minor: this is MOSCATO DI SCANZO.
Moscato di Scanzo is harvested by hand from the beginning until mid-October in plastic crates, taking care not to damage the grapes.
Once harvested, the broken berries are removed in order to prevent mould during the withering period.
Once all the Moscato di Scanzo grapes have been cleaned of the broken berries, they are placed in special crates, which favour the passage of air, and left to dry for 21 to 40 days (depending on weather conditions).
The drying process takes place in a protected room but in a natural way without any kind of air conditioning or other forcing.
By leaving the bunch in contact with the external environment, the bunch absorbs all the characteristics of the environment.
During the drying phase of Moscato di Scanzo, periodic monitoring is carried out and, if mould is detected, the grapes or, in the worst cases, the bunches are removed.
Once the appropriate degree of withering has been reached, the Moscato di Scanzo bunches are derasped and pressed.
At this point, the fermentation phase begins, which continues for a few months; during this phase, the pressing of the marc is initially carried out, followed by periodic moulting.
Once fermentation is complete, the Moscato di Scanzo obtained is left to rest for almost 18 months, during which time the required filtering and moulting is carried out.
In the autumn of two years later, bottling takes place to prepare for sale, which can begin after 11 November.
Moscato di Scanzo is a typical meditation wine, deep ruby red in colour, extremely fragrant with a predominance of wild berries, morello cherries, which with ageing tends to take on the predominant taste of fruit compote; in the aftertaste flavours of incense and flint.
The vineyard of Moscato di Scanzo is located in the territory of Tribulina, in the hilly area of Scanzorosciate, on the first offshoots of the Bergamo pre-Alps.
The place is uncontaminated and the vineyard is surrounded by a centuries-old wood where wild animals of all kinds thrive. The rocky soil is ideal for vines because during the day it accumulates solar heat and at night it protects the roots from frost.
The steep slope and the complete southern exposure ensure that all the power of the sun is captured and enclosed in the dark bunches of Moscato di Scanzo.
In this environment even the grape harvest, in which dozens of friends and relatives take part, becomes a ritual that revives past times. The grapes, after a long withering on the racks, are pressed and the wine rests for two years in a cool cellar dug into the rock before becoming an excellent Moscato di Scanzo.
This is where Azienda Agricola La Corona, founded in 1995 but which has been producing Moscato di Scanzo since the 1980s, offers the opportunity to taste its wines.