Vin Santo del Chianti: A Holy wine from the land of the Black Rooster

 The Chianti is famous for the dark red tannic Chianti Classico, made with (mostly) Sangiovese grapes. However, the region also boosts a good production of tasty white wines. But did you know that the same grapes that produce these good red and white Chianti wines is also used for the production of a very special fortified wine: Vin Santo del Chianti?  Some of the vineyards that we visit during our Tuscan Wine tour with Angie actually produce some excellent examples of this special wine. 

Vin Santo del Chianti is an Italian fortified wine that shares characteristics with other Italian desert/fortified wines, which are called “passitti” in Italian. The name “Vin Santo” is not special to the fortified wines from the Chianti, but the “Vin Santo” from the Chianti are the most well known and widely praised. The origin of the name “Vin Santo” is not certain and several hypothesis exist: Some historians claim the name “holy wine” to be related to its role in liturgical celebrations as a wine used during mass. Some “Vin Santo” are said to derive their “holiness” from the fact that the grapes to produce them are picked during the “Holly Week” of the liturgical calendar.

 

The production of a fortified wine is quite different from the production of other types of wine. In the Chianti two types of Vin Santo are made: Vin Santo del Chianti (from local white grape varieties, most often Malvasia Lunga or Trebbiano grapes) and Vin Santo del Chianti Occhio di Pernice (made predominantly from red Sangiovese grapes).  In September-October the grapes  are harvested manually upon full maturation in order to select the most healthy and loose bunches that still contain a certain amount of acidity. The selected bunches are hanged on racks or laid on straw mats that permit the full circulation of air. For a period of two to four months these rosters or racks are placed in special spaces called “appassitoi” (often on the highest story of a house) where there is a free natural circulation of air or in specially designed spaces with articificial ventilation systems. The goal now is to desiccate the grapes and to avoid the formation of molds and fermentation by keeping them in a temperature between 10-15°C and well ventilated. 

 

Between the 1^st of December and not the 31^st of March the grapes are well dehydrated and concentrated. The grapes are then stripped off their stems, crushed and put into small 50 liter wooden vessels called “caratelli”. These “caratelli” still contain a starter yeast, a dark dense sediment called “madre” (mother) that is a residue of the production of previous years. The further evaporation of the Vin Santo will cause a decrease in the level of wine in the barells and some producers choose to poor the wine in smaller barrels as it condenses over time. Some producers also pass the wine through a sequence of barels made out of different types of wood in order to add different aromas to the finished product. After a minimum aging period of three years the sediments are separated from the liquid and the resulting liquid is our famous Vin Santo del Chianti. This fortified wine is slightly stronger then other Chianti wines with an alcohol level of arround 15-20%. Vin Santo has an intense colour (ranging from a pale yellow to a dark golden or amber colour), and is known for its caramel, vanilla, honey, nuts and dried fruit aromas.

Vin Santo is most of all a wine of celebration. A desert wine used to end a good and gratifying dinner. You can find it on most restaurant menus, but many Italian families enjoy the wine at homely dinner parties. The most well-known combination is to dip traditional cantucci toscani in the Vin Santo and eat them moist with the fortified wine. These cantucci toscani are a type of dry sweet biscuits with pieces of almonds in them. These biscuits are not excessively sweetened and soak up considerate amounts of the Vin Santo.  The wine is also combined with other types of local biscuits or with cheese (especially the sweet variant of gorgonzola cheese).

Vin Santo is a part of the culinary richness of the Chianti that ought to be enjoyed to its fullest. A wine that is produced according to local tradition and that caries the unique flavors of the Chianti. A tasty dessert wine that comes highly recommended for you to… enjoy!