Italian winemaking customs provide a sweet solution

An Italian winemaking tradition has been adopted in the Finger Lakes.

  Bob Barrett, winemaker for Keuka Overlook Wine Cellars, lets some of his grapes air-dry in small crates for a few months before processing them into wine. The air-drying allows some of the water in the grapes to evaporate, resulting in more concentrated sugar and fruit flavors.

  Bob tried the technique first on some chardonnay grapes that he felt had a sugar level too low for processing into wine. After meeting with success on those white grapes, Bob decided to try the method with a small lot of cabernet franc grapes in 2000. He reasoned that on a year when the grape was not as full and fruity, the process could enhance the product. He knew he would not have as much wine, but what he did produce should be better quality.

  Bob talked with Glenora winemaker Steve diFrancesco about his idea. Steve commented that it sounded as if he were making Amarone, an Italian wine variety.

  That prompted Bob to do a little research. He found out that he had hit upon a process used in Italy since the days of the Roman Empire.

  I did some research too and found that grapes grown in the Veneto region of Northern Italy had difficulty reaching higher sugar levels before harvest time, according to an article by Luca Mazzoleni on "Robin Garr's Wine Lovers' Page" (www.wineloverspage.com). Italian grape growers developed covered air-drying racks that allowed some water to evaporate from the fruit. The article also described the grape types indigenous to the area and used for making Amarone as well as Recioto wine, a sweeter version of wine using the same drying process.

  I told Bob that I thought his 2001 Cabernet Franc Amarone had hints of ruby port in the nose. He said that there could have been some oxidation, typical of ports. It is caused by some fermentation brought on by natural yeast while the grapes were drying before the crush. And what a crush it was. The grape bins had been rotated each week to allow for even drying. Spoiled fruit was picked out to preserve the quality of the rest in each container.

  The cool fall and early winter acted like a refrigerator, slowing the evaporation outdoors where the grapes were stored. Finally, on Jan. 24, the shriveled grapes were sent to the crusher. The fruit was so thick the machine got stuck three times during pressing. After all of that time and effort, one ton of grapes yielded only about 85 gallons of juice.

  The Amarone wine is deep red in color. It smells like port and looks like port ‹ but with only 13 percent alcohol and 5 percent residual sugar it definitely is not a port. It is a soft and supple fruity wine with a dry finish.

  My friend Bob Masia, Southport town supervisor, has been making spaghetti sauce for decades. He recently told me, "To make the best red sauce, you need to add some port."

  I poured some of Keuka Overlook's Amarone into the sauce I was cooking over the weekend, adding it to my mix of homegrown tomatoes, onions and garlic. It wasn't port, but it was just right.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears each Thursday on the Twin Tiers Life Food Page. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: thewineguy