Phrases › Wine Tasting › Avete un vino passito?

Avete un vino passito?

Do you have a passito wine?

Pronunciation

pas-SI-to — three syllables, double 's', stress on second.

When to use it

When looking for Italian dessert wine made from partially dried grapes — a different category from fresh sweet wine.

What it means

'Passito' = made from partially dried ('appassite') grapes. The drying concentrates sugars, creating naturally sweet wines. Famous examples: Recioto di Soave, Passito di Pantelleria, Vin Santo, Sciacchetrà (Cinque Terre).

Variations

Avete il Passito di Pantelleria?

Do you have Passito di Pantelleria?

Made from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) on the volcanic island of Pantelleria — Italy's most famous passito

Il Vin Santo si abbina con i cantucci?

Does Vin Santo pair with cantucci?

Tuscan tradition: cantucci (hard almond biscuits) dipped in Vin Santo — a classic combination

Il Recioto è diverso dall'Amarone?

Is Recioto different from Amarone?

Recioto is sweet (residual sugar); Amarone is dry (all sugar fermented). Same grape, different style.

Mini Dialogue

— Avete un vino passito? — Sì — un Passito di Pantelleria e un Vin Santo di Montepulciano. — Con cosa li berreste? — Il Pantelleria con la pasticceria alla mandorla; il Vin Santo con i cantucci toscani.

— Do you have a passito wine? — Yes — a Passito di Pantelleria and a Vin Santo from Montepulciano. — What would you drink them with? — The Pantelleria with almond pastries; the Vin Santo with Tuscan cantucci.

Cultural Note

Passito di Pantelleria is made from Zibibbo grapes grown on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, halfway between Sicily and Tunisia. The wine is deeply golden, intensely aromatic (orange blossom, apricot, honey), and sweet without being cloying. It is one of Italy's most distinctive wines and the island's primary agricultural product.

← Previous

Cosa si intende per vino naturale?

È possibile visitare la cantina?

← All phrases: Wine Tasting