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Il
Visner
The
story goes that the Duke Federico da Montefeltro would not drink wine “se
non de ciriege” (if not of
cherries) or of pomegranate. And that aromatic and sweet wine is today
produced in the centre of Pergola,
in the silence softened by odorous cellars wrapped in magic atmosphere of
mysterious alchemy.
This
is how Visner is born, real and
proper elixir created from the union of good red wine (usually
Montepulciano or a red sort of wine from Pergola) and juicy visciole (sour
cherries). In many zones of the Marches the habit of home-made distillates
and liqueurs is still alive. Visner (the production of which is restricted
to a small area in the province of Pesaro and Urbino) is one of the most
exquisite results of this tradition. It is the fruit of creative intuition
of him who was the first to try to leave small and sweet sour cherries
soaked in already ripe red wine.
An
old, apparently simple recipe handed over from generation to generation,
slowly evolved and brought to present time this wine brimmed over with
special delight. Intense violet colour, charming fragrance and sweet
flavour: an equilibrium not easy to obtain that, together with rareness of
Prunus cerasus (sour cherry tree) make Visner be rare and precious.
Few
producers of this wine – very jealous of their secret - keep from
leaking of anything that regards its composition and its preparation, and
offer to the estimators only a limited quantity of this sublime drink.
At
the end of ripening, Visner is about 14,5% alcohol. It is, therefore, an
excellent escort for cakes and biscuits (cantuccini, crostata, etc.) and
it exalts the flavour of chocolate. Real pleasure is felt while sipping it
slowly, tasting all its pleasant properties and ancient flavour that
brings back sensations that seemed to be lost in modern times.
Once,
peasants used it as refreshment while working in the fields. Only a few
decades ago it was given as a universal remedy to some fortunate children.
Today Visner represents a delight for connoisseurs, either offered with
the greatest pride by a sommelier in the best restaurant, or exposed on
shelves of the most supplied wine shops – as a valuable wine with its
own rich history.
© 2001 Liberation Ventures Ltd.
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