What's Vin Santo?
Vin santo is one the most loved wine we produce in Tuscany.
Read this article to learn more!
The production area of the denomination Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC covers 71,800 hectares in the center of Tuscany and includes part of the territory of the provinces of Florence (30,400 hectares) and Siena (41,400). In particular, the municipalities of Greve in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti are entirely part of the area. The municipalities of San Casciano Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle are partially included. The territory can be assimilated to a plate of rectangular shape, hinged by the Chianti Mountains which constitute its eastern border; to the North the borders follow the course of the river Greve, to the West the river Pesa and Elsa, to the South the sources of the river Ombrone and Arbia. In the Chianti Classico territory the production of Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is a real art that requires time and patience. The first step is the harvesting of the most suitable grapes such as Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti, Canaiolo Bianco, Pinot Bianco or Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sangiovese. The wine of each vintage may be released for consumption no earlier than November 1st of the third year following the year of harvest. The method of drying is natural: the bunches of grapes are selected one by one and left to rest, hung or stretched out in places where there is a wide range of temperatures; in this way the water in the grapes evaporates and after three/four months the wine is made. Particularly linked to the experience of local winemakers, who traditionally produce this wine, are also the duration of fermentation, racking procedures, times and ways of aging. In this regard is in fact essential the obligatory keeping in small wooden casks. The Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is fragrant, intense, yellow to amber in color, harmonious and velvety in flavor, with a total alcohol content not lower than 16% and a discreet acidity. In the "occhio di pernice" typology, where the Sangiovese grape prevails, the color ranges from pale to intense pink, with an aroma which becomes warm and intense and a sweet, soft and velvety flavor.