» Aleatico
Soft, velvety and sweet to the taste is the wine obtained from the Aleatico grape, another noble and ancient grape variety. Its cultivation is said to have been introduced to Italy by the Greeks (“liatic grape of Greek origin“, in the quotation by Trinci, 1726).
This variety spread particularly in Lazio and Apulia. The bunches are elongated and can be recognised by their spheroid grapes: with very pruinous blue skin of medium thickness. In Tuscany, there is also a white-fruited version known as Liatico.
Our sweet Aleatico has a middle-to-late ripening period and prefers hot climates and good exposure.
It provides delicious wines and its grapes are also served at the table, for their pleasant muscatel taste and for that remarkable, exclusive aroma.
Sources speak of a white-fruited Levatica grape (Pier de Crescenzi, 1492). No relation to that wine, mentioned by Pliny, which the Greeks called aigleucos, a word which described its “always musty” nature and which, according to ancient tastes, was “halfway between sweet wines and genuine wine“.
Our Aleatico is a variety which bears little fruit, and the few bunches naturally achieve a high sugar content.
