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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Visciole is a unusual wine from The Marche in Italy. It is made from an indigenous sour cherry and Lacrimma di Morro d'Alba grape. From the Velenosi WebSite:
The recipes for this wine significantly differ from place to place, from winery to winery. The basic ingredient for vino di visciole is sour cherry (visciola), an ancient wild cherry species (Prunus cerasus), a deep dark red and slightly sour cherry. Based on the traditional recipe, sour cherries are harvested – they ripen during the first weeks of July – and left to soak in sugar, partly whole and partly smashed. This product is then decanted for a few days and finally filtered. A syrup with a high concentration of sugar is thus obtained, which is then mixed with wine. This triggers a re-fermentation process combining the two different identities (wine and syrup). Fermentation stops when a 14 % alcohol content and the resulting residual sugar makes this product pleasant.
Lacrima do Morro d'Alba is a grape variety that makes some very attractive wines in The Marche. It should be better known. It often resembles Refosco in character w/ lots of plummy/black cherry character. Visciole, which range in sweetness from dry to slightly sweet, are quite unique. Highly recommended.
Tom