Moscato di Scanzo is one of the best sweet wines to try in Italy. You cannot miss it!
This passito red wine is produced in just 31 acres of land in Scanzorosciate (combination of two fractions, Scanzo and Rosciate), along Bergamo Valcalepio Wine Route, in the province of Bergamo.
The name “Moscato” derives from the Latin word “muscum“, meaning “moss” (muschio in Italian), as this aroma is found when tasting Moscato di Scanzo DOCG.
The origins of this sweet wine date back to ancient times: probably first grown by the Greeks, these grapes might have been brought to Italy by Romans during Gallic Wars. Today it is recognized as one of the little jewels of Italian enology that we must safeguard and promote as an extraordinary excellence. Thank you Romans (once again) for bringing such an amazing fruit to our fabulous land!
Although we still haven’t found written evidence of this, we can surely rely on the first written proof of Moscato di Scanzo production, dating back to June 1347. The author was Alberico da Rosciate, a scholar who has become the symbol of this wine, who worked together with Simone da Scanzo (to be noted their last names compose the nowadays municipality of Scanzorosciate).
After some centuries, this sweet red wine was supposedly handed in to the Empress of Russia Catherine the Great, as a gift from Giacomo Quarenghi, famous architect and painter from Bergamo. From Russia to London, it became a quite well-known passito wine also among Londoners.