Article by Andrea Anselmino
‘I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars’ – Stephany Meyer.
I would like to start this article quoting the beautiful words of Stephany Meyer. As she says, I too love the silence, the darkness and the calm of the night.
In everyone’s life, there are nights you wish they would never end. There are nights of passion that gives you unforgettable emotions. And there are nights when life seems to stop under a starry sky who looks back at you and lights up your face.
On these dark nights, I found out a new star which I have never met before. It hit me with its light and made me feel the same emotions as during one of those endless nights.
Today, I want to tell you all about a vine which is very dear to me. The Passerina grape variety. I have hardly ever tasted such an interesting and well-made sparkling wine.
We are talking about BAKAN PASSERINA BRUT.
The origins of Passerina grape variety
Passerina is among the most widespread native white-berried grape varieties of central Italy, and one of the most popular too. The Marche and Abruzzo regions are its main cultivation areas.
The Passerina is an autochthonous grape variety, whose name seems to be related to the ‘Passer Domesticus’ or House Sparrow. These birds love eating Passerina tiny berries because of its high-quality pulp.
Thanks to the high yields of this variety, Passerina has gained the name ‘pagadebit’ which literally means ‘pay the debts’. That is because Passerina is a highly-productive, resistant-to-parasite grape. During years with a poor harvest, Pagadebit was the only grape variety that did not succumb, hence allowed winemakers to pay their debts.
Also, because of its great diffusion, was often mistaken for the Trebbiano grape variety too.
Nowadays, Passerina is a well-renowned grape that received several acknowledgements.
The features of Passerina
The Passerina grape variety has low-medium brunches with a semi-sparse, pyramidal shape. The berries have small dimensions, with yellow-gold colour and high pruine levels.
These grapes originate a crisp, light-bodied wine with an intense bouquet rich in floral and fruity notes. Therefore, when tasting a Passerina grape wine do not expect a distinct wine with a strong personality such as a Pecorino wine. On the contrary, we shall expect an elegant and harmonic wine.
BAKAN PASSERINA BRUT
Bakan Passerina Brut is a sparkling wine produced by Torri Cantine winery. It derives from organic agriculture in the vineyards, property of this winery.
The harvest starts mid-September, after a careful, accurate manual selection of only the best grapes. The two elements that grant this wine distinct floral and fruity notes are the optimal thermal excursion of terroir and organic agriculture. The first step for the vinification of the white grapes occurs inside thermo-conditioned stainless steel tank at 12°C.
Afterwards, the wine undergoes the sparkling winemaking process, according to the Charmat method. After adding the yeasts, the wine remains inside the pressure tank for three months and then bottled.
This Passerina sparkling wine has really impressed me for its elegance and drinkability. This wine was able to enlight and surprise me like one of those amazing, dark nights when the only light was that of the stars.
Go to the wine sheet.