Vin Santo Wine: 3 Steps to Making Vin Santo Wine

Vin Santo wine is a sweet dessert wine that originated in Tuscany, Italy. Hosts often serve Vin Santo alongside the Italian biscotti dessert cantucci. The wine has orange and apricot aromas and its unique drying and fermentation process involving different grape varieties. Since the introduction of Vin Santo wine in Tuscany, it is also prominently made in other Italian regions known as denominazione di origine controllata (DOCs)—or controlled destinations of origin in English—such as Veneto, Rufina, Carmignano, Umbria, and Trentino.

The name Vin Santo means “holy wine,” likely referring to the wine’s original use in Catholic mass during the Middle Ages. To this day, more than a few Tuscan winemakers begin fermenting this Italian wine on All Saints’ Day, eventually bottling it during Easter time. Others have posited that it derives its appellation from the Greek island of Santorini, where winemakers brewed this sweet wine during the Renaissance.

Vin Santo wine often includes a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia white grapes. Some winemakers use red Sangiovese grapes to make a special rosé version called Occhio di Pernice (“eye of the partridge”). Other makers add spirits to the wine, transforming it into Vin Santo Liquoroso.

The production of Vin Santo wine is a long, nuanced process. Here are the three basic steps:

1. 1. Dry the grapes. In a process called passito, the winemakers leave freshly picked grapes to dry out on straw mats for weeks or months before any fermentation begins. The dried grapes eventually begin to raisin, heightening the residual sugar levels that are so important to the sweetness apparent in Vin Santo wine tasting.
2. 2. Begin fermentation. Once the winemakers introduce a yeast culture into the dried fruit, fermentation begins. Some prefer to start this process by using a madre (yeast used in a previous batch of Vin Santo). As the sugar turns into ethanol, the alcohol levels in Vin Santo can reach close to twenty percent.
3. 3. Start aging. After fermentation, the aging phase of the winemaking process begins in large wooden barrels called caratelli. These casks are usually made of acacia, oak, and other types of wood that facilitate a lot of evaporation. If the maker ages the wine for four or more years, they can label it a Riserva—but Vin Santo wine is often aged for a far shorter time. After they age the wine to the desired point, they can bottle and serve it.

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