Vino Cotto

Vino cotto (literally cooked wine) is a form of wine from Le Marche and Abruzzo in central Italy. It is typically made by individuals for their own use, rather than commercially.  The grape must (mosto), from any of several local varieties, is heated in a copper vessel where it is reduced in volume by up to a half. After fermentation, it is aged in cask for a few years, a little new wine being added each year to make up losses due to evaporation. It is a ruby-colored wine, somewhat similar to Madeira, being slightly sweet with an alcohol content of about 14%.

Vino cotto is an Italian dessert wine. It is made by boiling for a long period some portion of the grape juice that will fermented to make wine. The wine is cooked often for up to 24 hours such that 100 liters of grape juice is boiled down to 20 liters of concentrate. 80 liters of grape juice is then added to this concentrate. This 100 liters is placed in a container, preferably a wooden keg, and allowed to ferment (referred to as “boil” in Italian) for several weeks. After this process has finished the mixture is placed in a large keg and allowed to age for 6-12 months. After this time the vino cotto is ready to be drunk.

Vino cotto was used in days past as a method of preserving wine for long periods of time. It is rarely found in today on the commercial market. Vino cotto has a flavor in some ways similar to vin santo and marsala but is produced in an entirely different manner.

Vino cotto is found primarily in the Abruzzo and Marche Regions of Italy. Teramo is one center of vino cotto production. Villages that specialize in vino cotto include Valle San Giovanni, Frondarola, and Rapino. Visitors to the guesthouse Casale, a two bedroom self catering villa located about 8 km from city center Teramo, often have a small glass of vino cotto after they have enjoyed a meal of timballo and mazzarelle. Some have two glasses.

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