Vin Santo Liqouroso (Italy)
Fortified Vin Santo is usually labelled Vin Santo Liquoroso
In Tuscany you drink Vin Santo with Cantucci (Almond Biscuits)
Serving Temperature
| 13-14°C (55-57°F) |
Flavors
 Orange Zest |
 Apricot |
 Tropical Fruit |
 Raisins |
 Figs |
 Nuts |
 Caramel |
 Honey |
 Herbal |
 Truffle |
 Licorice |
 Mineral |
Typical flavors of Vin Santo wines are: Citrus. Apricot. Tropical Fruit. Dried Fruit. Caramel. Honey. Cream. Herbal. Earthy. Smoke. Spices. Licorice and Mineral.
Food Pairing Vin Santo
 Meditation |
 Cantucci Biscuits |
 Foie Gras |
 Blue Cheese |
Vin Santo is a good match to Foie Gras. Paté. Biscotti. Cantucci. Italian Torte (Cakes). Panforte. Nut Cakes. Walnut Tart. Peacan Pie. Christmas Desserts. Dark Chocolate. Dried Fruit. Blue Cheese. Roquefort.
The wine should always be as sweet, or sweeter than what you are eating.
Vin Santo Styles
The style of Vin Santo varies depending on the production methods and the grapes used.
The sweetness can vary from bone dry (like Fino Sherry) to extremely sweet. The colour can range from a pale amber to neon orange.
White grapes are most widely used (Trebbiano and Malvasia), but red grapes (like Sangiovese) can also be used to produce a amber-red sweet wine called Occhio di Pernice (Eye of the Partridge).
DOC Vin Santo
In Tuscany, there are four DOCs that make only Vin Santo. Each of these corresponds to a major red wine DOCG zone:
- Vin Santo del Chianti DOC
- Vin Santo di Carmignano DOC
- Vin Santo Sant'Antimo DOC
- Vin Santo del Montepulciano DOC
Other DOC zones:
- Trentino Vino Santo DOC
- Offida Passerina Vin Santo DOCG
About Vin Santo
Vin Santo or Vinsanto (Sacred Wine) is a sweet dessert wine from Tuscany in Italy, most often made from the grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia.
Vin Santo is made from dried grapes, and the degree of alcohol, sweetness and oxidation will vary a lot between manufacturers.
Cantucci or Biscotti are almond cookies from Tuscany. They are made without oil or butter, and baked twice to crisp perfection. Biscotti literally means twice (bis) cooked (cotti).
Toscana (Tuscany)
Toscana is famous for the city of Firenze, and red wines made from Sangiovese.
Red Wines:
Chianti
Chianti Classico
Rosso di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino
Rosso di Montepulciano
Nobile di Montepulciano
Montecucco Sangiovese
Morellino di Scansano
Super Tuscan:
Super Tuscan
Bolgheri Rosso
Carmignano Rosso
Suvereto Rosso
Val di Cornia Rosso
White Wines:
Rosé Wines:
Sweet Wines:
Toscana
Toscana is most famous for the majestetic city of Firenze.
On the wine side, the region is best known for the Sangiovese based red wines:
- Chianti Classico
- Brunello di Montalcino
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
A copy of the Bordeaux Blend, named Super Tuscan, is also popular all over the world.
Vermentino is the best known white wine from the coastline, and Vernaccia is an internationally recognised white wine from the medieval town of San Gimignano.
On the sweet side, Vin Santo ("Holy Wine") is the national drink in Tuscany.
Toscana has 11 DOCGs:
Sangiovese:
Chianti DOCG (70% Sangiovese)
Chianti Classico DOCG (80% Sangiovese)
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (100% Sangiovese)
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG (70% Sangiovese)
Montecucco Sangiovese DOCG (90% Sangiovese)
Morellino di Scansano DOCG (85% Sangiovese)
Super Tuscan:
Carmignano DOCG (Sangiovese, Cab Sauvignon/Franc, Merlot)
Suvereto Rosso DOCG (Cab Sauvignon, Merlot)
Val di Cornia Rosso DOCG (Sangiovese, Cab Sauvignon, Merlot)
White:
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG (85% Vernatcha)