Vin santo
08 January 2002 by Michael Raffael
Used as a flavouring for biscotti, vin santo (from Tuscany) is the perfect dessert wine to drink at the end of an Italian meal.
After the harvest the grapes (Trebbiano, Malvasio) are laid out to dry for three months, then pressed.
The must is left in small oak casks for at least four years, during which the wine undergoes successive fermentations.
Once bottled, vin santo can be aged indefinitely (many decades), each year gaining further richness and bouquet.
Vin santo has a 17% alcohol content, is a dark-straw-to-amber colour, and has an intense fruity flavour, ranging from sweet to dry with honey overtones.
In Trentino, a different style of vin santo is made from white grapes which are left to dry throughout the winter.
