The label of this wine pays homage to the Greek god of grape harvesting, winemaking, and drunken dancing. Sicily was colonized by ancient Greeks around the 8th century BC, and the area now known as southern Italy was called Magna Graecia (Great Greece). This was the most prosperous period of culture in human history. The Greeks who introduced winemaking to Sicily also introduced the god Dionysus. Dionysus is the god of wine, and one of his beliefs is symbolized by female dancers dancing all night long. The label of Colpasso depicts the belief in Dionysus and his worshippers. The wine is made from Nero d'Avola, a traditional Sicilian grape variety, using the traditional appassimento method. To create a rich, full-bodied red wine, about a quarter of the harvested grapes are dried to enhance the complex flavors. The grapes are dried on trays in a room with airflow for about 30 days, reducing their weight to about 25% of the harvest weight. They are then transferred to oak barrels that have been used for two years and aged for 6-8 months. Colpasso is a winery in western Sicily, with vineyards in Trapani province, where Marsala and Mazara are located. They are committed to using indigenous Italian grape varieties that have been rooted in the land since ancient times, and they make wines that express their "tradition" by combining the latest technology that they have cultivated and researched. Colpasso means "a step on the hill." It is a combination of the words "Col," an abbreviation of Collina, which means "hill," and "Passo," which means "a step," and has two meanings. They believe that "the best wine comes from the best vineyards, not from the cellars," and they make grapes that have the characteristics of indigenous grape varieties. They are committed to cultivation that respects nature, use almost no pesticides, avoid human intervention, and make healthy, natural wines. In addition, the wine is vegan-certified, with no animal-derived ingredients used in the brewing process, which takes time and effort. By innovating while preserving tradition, we hope to deliver wine to the people of the "hilltop" who enjoy fine wine on a daily basis, and to once again convey the appeal of indigenous varieties.
Colpasso's "One Step to the Hilltop" will continue to evolve, one step at a time, towards the summit and pass on its "tradition."