The Passito wine

The passito wine was invented by the Punicians. It was Magone, the famous general from Carthage, who diffused the recipe for the passum, which is still in use on the island.

The first ripe bunches of grapes are picked, the musty ones carefully discarded. The bunches are then placed on a ‘cannizza’ and exposed to the sun, covering them at night and from the dew. Once the bunches become dry (raisin), the grape is placed in a jar and covered in must. After six days they are pressed, and the liquid is gathered. After this, the pressed liquid is mixed with some juice which had been kept in the sun for 3 days. All this is placed in clay containers, closed tightly and opened after it fermented, 20 or 30 days later..