A native of the Jurançon region in the foothills of
the French Atlantic Pyrenees, the small-berried,
thick-skinned Petit Manseng grape from which this
white wine is made, is more highly regarded than
its larger-berried sibling, Gros Manseng.
As Petit Manseng’s small berries yield very little
juice, they are not harvested until late autumn.
By this time the grapes have shrivelled and their
sugar content is at its most concentrated. This is the
process known in French as ‘passerillage’. Interest in
the grape’s potential is growing in the Agro Pontino
valley, where it was planted for the first time by
Casale del Giglio in their vineyards at Le Ferriere,
near the town of Latina, 50 km south of Rome.