Vin Santo (Tuscany)

Vin Santo (‘holy wine’) is the amber coloured sweet wine style produced, throughout Tuscany, traditionally from white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia, although for the ‘Occhio de Pernice’ style, the red Sangiovese grape is used. Grapes are dried, for many months, while lying on straw mats or hanging in rafters in warm, ventilated rooms, at the winery. This drying process is known as ‘passito’ and the longer it lasts, the greater the evaporation and the more raisiny the grape berry, the sweeter the wine will be.

Following pressing and fermentation, Vin Santo then ages for a minimum of three years (often up to seven years) in small oak barrels (known as caratelli) which are never topped up – the ullage at the surface of the ageing wine is what results in the oxidation which gives Vin Santo its characteristic amber colour and rancio aroma.

There is a high variability between styles of Vin Santo, with some wines being nearly dry with alcohol around 18%, whereas others are extremely sweet with alcohol only around 14%. Occhio de Pernice (eye of the partridge) is a pale rose style produced from at least 50% of the black Sangiovese grape. Several Tuscan appellations can be used for producing Vin Santo, we are listing a selection of the very best examples, which mostly come from Chianti Classico in Tuscany.

We offer some of the great Vin Santo wines from the following producers: Just click on any of the links below to find them.

• Avignonesi Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo
• Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio Vin Santo di Chianti Classico
• Capezzana Vin Santo di Carmignano Riserva
• Felsina Berardenga Vin Santo Chianti Classico
• Fontodi Vin Santo de Chianti Classico
• Isole e Olena Vin Santo di Chianti Classico