Vin Santo

The origins of this Italian dessert wine lie in ancient Greece. The name means "holy wine" and is derived from the "Settimana Santa" (Holy Week), as it is usually pressed between the end of November and Easter. It is also often used as a mass wine. In Italy, outside Tuscany, it is also known as Vino Santo. The OPAP sweet wine produced on the Aegean island of Santorini is called Vinsanto (without a blank). In Italy, it is often only produced for personal consumption and is often used for family celebrations such as christenings and weddings.

It is mostly sweet (dolce), but semi-sweet (amabile) and dry (secco) versions with different alcohol content and residual sugar are also produced. White and red varieties of Malvasia and Trebbiano, as well as Grechetto and Sangiovese, are favoured for production. These are hung on racks or laid flat on reed or straw mats to dry under the influence of air using the passito method. The raisined grapes are not pressed until the end of December at the earliest, with the mouldy grapes being removed beforehand.

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Vin Santo

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