Vin Santo (Italy)

Vin Santo Styles

The style of Vin Santo varies depending on the production methods and the grapes used.

The sweetness can vary from bone dry (like Fino Sherry) to extremely sweet. The colour can range from a pale amber to neon orange.

Vin Santo can also be fortified (like Port) with grape spirit added during fermentation. Fortified Vin Santo is usually labelled Vin Santo Liquoroso.

White grapes are most widely used (Trebbiano and Malvasia), but red grapes (like Sangiovese) can also be used to produce a amber-red sweet wine called Occhio di Pernice (Eye of the Partridge).

DOC Vin Santo

In Tuscany, there are four DOCs that make only Vin Santo. Each of these corresponds to a major red wine DOCG zone:

• Vin Santo del Chianti DOC
• Vin Santo di Carmignano DOC
• Vin Santo Sant'Antimo DOC
• Vin Santo del Montepulciano DOC

Other DOC zones:

• Trentino Vino Santo DOC
• Offida Passerina Vin Santo DOCG

About Vin Santo

Vin Santo or Vinsanto (Sacred Wine) is a sweet dessert wine from Tuscany in Italy, most often made from the grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia.

Vin Santo is made from dried grapes, and the degree of alcohol, sweetness and oxidation will vary a lot between manufacturers.

Cantucci or Biscotti are almond cookies from Tuscany. They are made without oil or butter, and baked twice to crisp perfection. Biscotti literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotti).