The Vanishing Grape

One of Italy's oldest and most revered wines is in danger of becoming extinct because of the back breaking work needed to harvest it. Passito di Pantelleria, a golden desert wine made from the Monscato, or Muscat grape, is produced only on the island of Pantelleria, between Sicily and Tunisia. Only 2500 tons of the grapes were harvested this year, compared to 24,000 tons in 1990. The wine will vanish by 2017 if new technology is not invented.