Passum

This was a dessert or raisin wine made with grapes that were either allowed to shrivel on the vine or dried on rush mats. More sweet must, from other grapes that had not been dried, was used to aid the pressing of the fruit. The result was then fermented and aged. It is not a process we can duplicate but there are modern varieties of sweet wine that correspond to this. The one that I currently use and that most closely resembles dark passum is called ‘Malaga Dulce’. ‘Malaga Virgen’ and ‘Malaga Moscatel’ are broadly similar. It is relatively cheap to purchase in the Malaga region of Spain, although, unfortunately, it is quite expensive in Britain, as are many of the other varieties of sweet wine that might suit. Candidates, all made from white grapes, might be ‘Rivesaltes’ from southern France, ‘Amavrodaphne’ from Cyprus, ‘Muscat of Samos’ and ‘Muscat of Lemnos’, these last two from Greece. Any very sweet dessert wines such as a heavy muscat or a heavier Sauternes will also do. Passum could be either dark or pale as long as it has that raisin flavour. In the recipes here, I sometimes suggest a lighter raisin wine, particularly if the sauce in question is described as white.