A term commonly used around Verona in the Veneto region for a sweet wine made from raisined grapes. The wine, or rather the way it is made, goes back to Raeticum, an ancient Roman wine. The name comes from the dialect word "recie" for the sweetest and ripest berries. This means "little ears" and refers to the grapes that are on the very outside of the vine and therefore receive the most sunlight and heat. These used to be picked individually, but this is no longer done today.
The grapes are dried for four to six months on racks in airy halls (known as appassimento ) or on straw mats. A noble rot caused by botrytis often develops during this process. Due to the concentration of sugar, the alcohol content often exceeds 15% vol. Similar wines are straw wine and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Amarone
The dry version is called Amarone and has a characteristically bitter (amaro) flavour. In this wine, noble rot or botrytised grapes are undesirable because they can have a negative effect on acidity, colour and shelf life. It is said that this version was discovered purely by chance because a Recioto did not stop fermenting in time. Such wines are a speciality in Veneto, where the DOCG wines Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Gambellara and Recioto di Soave are produced in this way. In principle, Recioto corresponds to the process known as Passito in other regions.
Further information
For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), distillation (distillates), spirits (types), winemaking (wines and wine types) and wine law (wine law issues).
Grapes: By Zyance - Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link
