Prep
30 minutes
Cook
3–4 hours
Serves
About 500 ml
Difficulty
Moderate
Region
Southern Italy
What you’ll need
Ingredients
- 11 lb ripe dark grapes
- A small piece of quince or a bay leaf (optional)
At the stove
Instructions
- 1
Crush the grapes by hand and press them through a sieve to get the must, discarding skins and pips.
- 2
Bring the must to a bare simmer in a wide, heavy pan.
- 3
Skim the foam that rises in the first half hour.
- 4
Cook uncovered at a low simmer for 3–4 hours, until reduced to about a tenth of its volume and syrupy on a cold spoon.
- 5
Add the quince or bay for the last 30 minutes if using, then remove it.
- 6
Cool and bottle in sterilised bottles; refrigerate after opening.
Recipe notes
This is unfermented cooked must, not wine. Keep it below a boil so it stays clean-tasting.
Safety note: bottle into clean, sterilised containers and refrigerate once opened. Discard if it ferments, fizzes or smells off.
Context
Cooked must — vino cotto, mosto cotto or saba depending on the region — is a documented southern Italian household preparation used as a sweetener long before refined sugar was common.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented southern Italian household preserving, Ro & Ti Kitchen
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