Sangue di Giuda dell’Oltrepò Pavese Siliquastro Mon Carul 2023

Sangue di Giuda is a very traditional sweet sparkling red wine produced in the province of Pavia, in particular in the Versa valley in Oltrepò Pavese disrict. It can be considered a sweet, dessert version of the local dry red wine, being obtained from the same grape varieties. According to the Pavia tradition it is not considered simply a dessert wine, but also to be paired with snacks like cold cuts or fresh cheeses and in contemporary catering it can find excellent food pairing with spicy or delicate dishes, served chilled. The sweet taste due to residual sugars is in fact balanced by the acidity of Barbera and the tannins of Croatina. The name of the appellation, meaning the Blood of Judas, is due to a legend. Judas would be resurrected in Oltrepò Pavese after having repented; the citizens seeing the traitor of Jesus meant to kill him, but Judas managed to save himself, healing the vineyards from a terrible disease thanks to the strength of his prayers. So, the sweet wine produced from these vineyards was called the blood of Judah.

The grapes are harvested by hand, de-stemmed and crushed. A 24-hour cold maceration precedes the start of fermentation which goes on for 4-6 days with the skins and is then stopped by refrigeration. Then fermentation continues for a while in a pressurized autoclave to maintain the fizziness and significant residual sugar (95 g / l).