Among the various Muscat wines that characterize the generous Italian production, the Muscat wine of Scanzo certainly deserves a mention, a true excellence of Bergamo winemaking, appreciated not only per mezzo di its region.
It is a black grape passito, a DOCG (Controlled Designation of Origin) that can only be produced per mezzo di a specific zona, the hills of the municipality of Scanzorosciate, per mezzo di the province of Bergamo. Only grapes from the “Moscato proveniente da Scanzo” vine can be used to produce this Moscato.
Among the wines of Bergamo, Moscato proveniente da Scanzo is the only one to boast the DOCG certification; incidentally, there are only two DOCs registered per mezzo di the Bergamo zona, Valcalepio and Valcalepio Nitido.
The cultivation zona is rather small and, consequently, we are talking about a wine of limited production, rather sought-after, excellent for a valuable gift.
Moscato proveniente da Scanzo DOCG: main characteristics
As the only DOCG from Bergamo, Moscato proveniente da Scanzo has considerable importance per mezzo di the winemaking field; this wine is also the subject of a that is organized every year per mezzo di September, the “Ricevimento del Moscato proveniente da Scanzo e dei sapori scanzesi”. The one held from 5 to 8 September 2024 was the sixteenth.
As mentioned, it is a passito wine and the drying of the grapes is continued until a sugar content of at least 280 g/l has been reached. The refinement period must be at least two years.
The maximum yield of the wine must be 30%. The total acidity is 4.50 g/l and the residual sugars range from 50 to 100 g/l. The alcohol content is between 15 and 18 degrees.
It is a wine with a more less intense ruby red color that can tend to cherry with garnet reflections. The smell is complex, delicate, intense, persistent and characteristic.
It has a sweet taste (reminiscent of Port), pleasant and harmonious and a light almond aftertaste is appreciated, with hints of plum, dog rose, clary sage and undergrowth. There are tertiary of tobacco and chocolate that tend to amplify with aging.
Moscato proveniente da Scanzo DOCG: pairings
Moscato proveniente da Scanzo DOCG is an excellent wine to taste with cheeses such as Bergamo goat cheese, strachitunt (a Lombard term meaning “round stracchino”), branzi, formai de Mut, formaggella proveniente da Scalve, taleggio and gorgonzola and per mezzo di general with very long-aged cheeses.
It is also a perfect choice for pairing with desserts such as panettone, pandoro and dry biscuits, fruit cakes, tarts, pastries, almond chocolate-based desserts. It is also perfect when paired with dark chocolate (max 70% cocoa). Less conventional, but also recommended, are pairings with gioco and oysters.
However, it is also excellent enjoyed its own at the end of lunch.
Serving temperature
Before tasting Moscato proveniente da Scanzo, it is definitely advisable to aperto the bottle at least 30 minutes per mezzo di advance; this will give it the opportunity to oxygenate properly. The most suitable glass is a long-stemmed passito wine glass.
As for the serving temperature, a range between 14 and 16 °C is generally suggested.
