Cotta di Roccamontepiano

The cotta is the cooking of the grape must, and Roccamontepiano has long been known for it. Cooked must is what vino cotto is made from, a drink of various parts of Abruzzo and central Italy and an old one: it is said to have been drunk by Roman emperors after dinner, Plautus has it as a liqueur at grand banquets, and Pliny and Columella describe how it was made. Mario Soldati praised it in 1971 as an excellent dessert wine, brick red with deep gold lights, its odd smoky, slightly rough taste and moderate sweetness keeping it clear of the cloying.