Thursday, September 03, 2009

Holy wine.

Whilst my family OTW has jetted off to Lucca for a mini-holiday, school is back in for me and I won't be going anywhere, anytime soon...least of all Tuscany. So, to put myself in their holiday spirit, I decided to have some Vin Santo after dinner.
The best known of Italy's sweet wines, the grapes from which Vin Santo is made, are left to dehydrate for months after harvest to concentrate the sugar content. The grapes can either be red or white, but white is more typical. It is found all over regulation-crazed Italy ( it is called Vino Santo in Trentino-Alta Adige), but mainly Tuscany. The wine is then aged in barrels, up in attics, to produce a madeira-like effect, developing oxidised characteristics, with complex aromas and flavours. Vin Santo should be at least 3 years old, 4 years for a riserva, and may be sweet or dry.
One small glass was not really a sufficient amount to transport me to some medieval, walled city, but it was enough to distract me from my Humanities homework.

8 comments:

Affer said...

Mmmm....Vino Santo.......biscotti...mmmm!!!!

Vinogirl said...

Affer, I recently discovered these mini almond biscotti at Trader Joe's...they are barred from my house because I would eat them all in 5 minutes. A moment on the lips...

Toby Savage said...

Vinogirl, I have a Bardolino Chiaretto Rose on the go here. Looks similar in that its the same colour and in a similar bottle. Not a rose man myself, (can't find the ket that puts the accent above the 'e') but it's jolly good. Happy drinking.

Vinogirl said...

Toby I wish I had your bottle of rose, it would come in handy for a rose blind-tasting I am planning for this weekend. No one would guess it's identity I bet.
I have no idea where the accent key is either!

The villager: said...

I like the idea of being transported to a medieval walled city.......wine can certainly change your perception of the 'reality' around you.

Vinogirl said...

'Reality' is pretty nice in Napa, but I wouldn't mind just a few days in aforementioned walled city...a change of scenery is always refreshing.

Thud said...

by coinkydink we finished a meal that very night with vin santo and cantucci.

Vinogirl said...

You must have sent happy wine vibes to me from Italy :)