Cinque Terre takes its name from the five coastal towns along the Ligurian Sea, in the eastern part of the region in the province of La Spezia. The wines of this Denominazione d’Origine Controllata are produced with the grapes cultivated near the five towns:
- Monterosso
- Vernazza
- Corniglia
- Manarolo
- Riomaggiore – the most important in terms of wine production and which is further sub-divided into:
- Costa de Campu
- Costa dà Posa
- Costa de Sèra.
The vineyards are planted in steep slopes, in terraces going down to the sea. Harvesting is made difficult because of the reduced access possibilities to vineyards, which can be reached only by narrow paths. After the harvest, the grapes are loaded on the shoulders of grape-pickers and transported outside the vineyard. This harvesting method, has been recently replaced in some vineyards with the introduction of rails on which run small carriages allowing an easier transport of grapes.
The dry white wines of Cinque Terre are produced with Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes. The wines should be medium bodied, characterized by a good crispness and a salty character, typical of many white wines from coastal vineyards.
Sciacchetrà, a rare and excellent sweet wine produced with dried grapes. Sciacchetrà – locally and historically called rinforzato, or, in dialect, refursà – is produced with overripe grapes allowed to dry in aerated rooms, in order to encourage the loss of water and the concentration of juice. The grape is then crushed and vinified, and at the end of fermentation, is obtained a sweet wine of rare elegance. Sciacchetrà must age for at least one year before being sold, three years for the riserva style. Sciacchetrà represents one of the most rare sweet wines of Italy.
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