Visciolata del Cardinale

The Visciolata del Cardinale is a typical drink of the Marche region and is produced with respect to the rural tradition: it derives from fine grapes, sour cherries and sugar, based on an old recipe dated back to mid '800. The long production cycle with a particular process make it a unique and invaluable meditative wine to be enjoyed together.
The Visciolata should be served in small glasses at 13-16°C at the end of the meal, pairing with tarts, vanilla or chocolate desserts, panna cotta and, mainly, with dry pastries.
Its colour is cardinal red and smells like a fruity bouquet, its taste is sweet and enveloping, with a dry aftertaste and a clear hint of sour-cherry; the olfactory persistence is pleasant and lasting.
With Visciolata you can make particular happy-hour drinks and cocktails (for example, the Kir Royal can be made with Campari soda and a spike of Visciolata).

"The love for sour-cherries, within an everlasting tradition, creates products of rare quality…"

History/legend:

The Visciolo – prunus cerasus var. austera – produces the sour-cherries. It is said that the tree, coming either from the Middle East, or from Armenia and Caucasus areas, has been brought to Italy by the Roman General Locullus, famous for his sumptuous and lavish banquets. Some writings tell that the General picked the plant in Giresun (Kerasous in Ancient Greek) in Turkey, and put it in his gardens 65 years before Christ.

Since old times, in the Marche region, the sour-cherry wine has been produced to make nicer some wines that easily tended to oxidise.
Nobility and clergy used to drink it as dessert wine naming it “angels wine”, whilst peasants produced it to drink it only in big celebrations and naming it “witches' blood”, attributing aphrodisiac properties to it...