Sciacchetrà Wine Tasting at Cantina Sociale di Riomaggiore
Sciacchetrà is one of Italy's most labour-intensive wines — a golden, amber-hued passito made from partially dried Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes grown on near-vertical terraced cliffs where every bunch must be harvested by hand. Tasting it at the Cantina Sociale di Riomaggiore, the cooperative that has unified local growers since 1982, is the most authentic way to understand what makes thi
About the Wine
To make one bottle of Sciacchetrà, growers need roughly 3 kg of fresh grapes — the drying process concentrates sugars and flavours into a wine of intense apricot, honey and dried fig complexity. Production is tiny (only a few thousand bottles per year) which is why you rarely see it outside Liguria.
The cooperative's standard Cinque Terre DOC white — a dry, mineral, slightly saline wine made from the same grapes — is the perfect aperitivo and costs a fraction of the Sciacchetrà. Order a glass with a plate of local anchovies and you'll understand the whole terroir in two bites.
The Tasting Experience
The Cantina Sociale sits just above the train station at Via Discovolo 14 and offers walk-in tastings as well as structured guided sessions where a member of staff explains the heroic viticulture — the dry-stone walls, the monorail systems used to carry grapes down the cliffs, the fight against coastal erosion.
Bottles of Sciacchetrà make exceptional gifts and are far cheaper bought here at source than in any restaurant. The 375 ml half-bottle is the most practical size to carry home.
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