Le Cinque Terre
Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore: Five towns on the Ligurian coast just north of the Gulf of La Spezia, which mean many different things to different people. Up until this century, they were among the most God-forsaken places on earth, tiny towns perched on sheer cliffs overlooking the sea, accessible either by boat or overland by tortuous mule tracks. Some people eked out an existence by fishing, while many others turned their hand to agriculture, producing what they could: Mostly olive oil and wine, the latter from vineyards planted in terraces painstakingly chipped out of the rocky hillsides. This sounds dreadful, but the wines were renowned, so much so that Petrarca mentions them, as do Dante and Boccaccio. More recently, Gabriele D'Annunzio, who was both a dashing patriot and a licentious poet, termed the wines "sensual."
The arrival of the phyloxera infections in the 1920s had a drastic effect on the region: It wiped out the grapes. The more elevated terraces were abandoned, while those at lower elevations were only gradually replanted. In the meantime, with the arrival of the railroads the towns had discovered tourism. They're ideally suited for it, with picturesque ports, beautiful bays and inlets, and pretty though somewhat gravelly beaches. There's something for everyone: Breathtaking walks and hikes, especially the Passeggiata dell'Amore, a trail hugging the cliffs between the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola (part of it is in theory closed, but people walk it anyway; it's especially nice when the sea is rough and the spray carries up), family beaches, in particular at Monterosso, snorkeling spots, and nudist beaches, especially below Corniglia.
And then there's the wine. The vineyards are on terraces chipped out of the hillsides. They're everywhere, but the best place to see them is around Corniglia, which is perched on a knob above the sea - the road winding up to the town from the station goes through them (as does the trail down to the mostly nudist beach), and you can only marvel at the patience and energy of the people who built them: The terraces are about 10 feet wide, and the retaining walls are 3-6 feet high, while the vines are grown on trellises about three feet above the rocky ground to allow the grapes to absorb all the heat reflected from the soil (most of what passes for soil between the retaining walls is actually rock fragments from the terraces above). Picking and pruning are done on hands and knees, and the trails are so steep that during the harvest the pickers used to negotiate them on their knees with baskets of grapes on their backs. Now they have little tractors on monorails to carry the grapes down, but having seen one in operation, I'm not sure that I wouldn't prefer to go on my knees. The men who drive the tractors deserve medals.
The vineyards of the Cinque Terre yield two wines: Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà.
Cinque Terre is a dry white wine, with a delicate bouquet and a nice finish. It's a coastal wine with a bit of sea tang to it, and compliments the local fish and shellfish admirably. For that matter, it also goes quite well with the essentially vegetarian diet the people had when the catch of the fishermen was poor (things such as ravioli or pasta with pesto sauce). However, in off years Cinque Terre can be thin and acidic, and then one wonders why people go to all the trouble.
Because of Sciacchetrà, a dessert wine made by selecting the best grapes from the harvest and setting them to dry on mats (like Vinsanto). Drying concentrates the sugars in the grapes, which are pressed during October. The resulting must is fermented, and what emerges is an amber-colored nectar, with a flowery bouquet and an intriguing taste - though sweet, it can have a fairly dry finish, and is an excellent dessert wine. Its complexity increases with age and it can be a rare treat.
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What to
serve with Cinque Terre? As I said, fish or shellfish go best. You may also
want to try Buridda, a traditional Ligurian
fish stew. To serve six you'll need:
- 3 pounds of mixed fresh fish (red mullet, angler fish, dogfish, drumfish, etc - things that are inexpensive and fresh)
- 1 1/4 pounds cuttlefish and/or and baby squid
- 1 pound onions
- 1 pound of fresh tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- A pinch of dries oregano (no more)
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Slices of toasted Italian bread, for serving
Clean the mollusks, and slice all the fish, removing any bones you may find. Thinly slice the onions, and blanch, peel, and chop the tomatoes. Take a Dutch oven or other pot elegant enough to double as a serving dish, and lightly oil the bottom, then sprinkle it with half the tomatoes and onions. Salt and pepper lightly, then arrange half the fish over the vegetables. Add another tomato-onion layer, then another fish layer, then season again and sprinkle the top with the parsley, oregano and wine. Cover and cook over a very low flame for about an hour, or until the liquid is mostly evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Occasionally shake the pot lightly but do not stir it, lest you make a mushy mess.
Serve the Buridda over slices of toasted Italian bread.
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Technical stuff:
Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà are produced in the Province of La Spezia, in the townships of Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso, and also in Tramonti di Biassa and Tramonti di Campiglia, which are part of the township of La Spezia.
Cinque Terre is produced from the Bosco (at least 60%), Albarola, and Vermentino grapes; its minimum alcohol content is 11%. The maximum allowable yield per hectare (2.4 acres) is 9,000 kilos of grapes, while the maximum allowable yield from the grapes is 70%. It should be served chilled, with fish or shellfish.
Sciacchetrà is
produced in the same region, from the same grapes. However, the maximum
allowable yield from the grapes is 35% (they are partially dried, after all),
and the alcohol concentration is 17%. It is a dessert wine.
There is
no required aging for either Cinque Terre or
Sciacchetrà.
Good Food &
Drink,
Kyle Phillips
