L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano I f y o u ' v e b e e n t o T u s c a n y , y o u h a d v i n s a n t o , t h e sweet, thick fragrant nectar often served with another Tuscan legend, cantucci cookies. To be fair, vin santo is typical of all regions of central Italy and some variants of it can be f o u n d a l s o i n t h e N o r t h - East of the country, espe- cially in Trentino, where it's produced with Nosiola gra- pes, and in Veneto, where it's made with Garganega. A s p e c i a l n a m e w i t h a debated origin The origins of vin santo are mysterious and border on legend, especially when it comes to its name, which translates, literally, as "holy wine." Its first attestations come from the early years of Christianity, when it's likely t h e e x p r e s s i o n v i n s a n t o was used to indicate wine that was pure enough to be d r u n k d u r i n g m a s s . F a s t forward one thousand years a n d w e ' l l f i n d i t a g a i n i n Siena, in 1348: the town was succumbing to the plague a n d , l e g e n d s s a y , f r i a r s would visit the sick and give them a sip of mass wine to r e s t o r e s o m e o f t h e i r strength. Apparently, the poor souls would whisper "vin santo," grateful for the short, but certainly welco- me, moment of respite from pain the sweet liquor gave them. Soon, people began to believe the wine could cure illnesses, strengthening its fame of being "santo." Another story places the origin of the name one cen- t u r y l a t e r , i n 1 4 3 9 , w h e n pope Eugene IV called the c o u n c i l o f F e r r a r a a n d Florence to discuss the rela- t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e w e s t e r n a n d t h e e a s t e r n C h r i s t i a n C h u r c h . S e v e n hundred Orthodox priests came to Italy, including the famous humanist cardinal B e s s a r i o n , b i s h o p o f Nicea. One day, after tasting a glass of our glorious, gol- den Tuscan wine, he appa- rently exclaimed: "But this is Xantos," as in the wine p r o d u c e d o n t h e G r e e k island of Xantos, which was Italianized later in "santo," holy. Some, however, believe that the name vin santo has little to do with its taste, and more with when it is produced, that is, always around important religious festivities. Grapes are pres- sed around All Saints Day in some parts of Italy, while in others, it happens around Christmas or even Easter, with bottling taking place e i t h e r i n N o v e m b e r , December or April. Truth is, the most proba- ble, although less fascina- ting, reason for the name comes from the well establi- shed habit to use it as mass wine. Yes, to the association w i t h t h e s p i r i t u a l , b u t w i t h o u t a n y m i r a c l e n o r famous cardinal in sight. How do we make it? T o b e f a i r , n o t m u c h changed in the way we pro- duce vin santo today from that used by our ancestors. In the past, only the best grapes were selected and let dry either placing them flat on mats or hanging from h o o k s . O n c e t h e g r a p e s were dry, they were pressed. The must obtained was then moved into wooden kegs, usually between 15 and 50 liters in capacity. One thing was essential: removing the previous year's vin santo from kegs only a short time before filling them with the "new" wine, as the previous vintage's dregs were belie- ved to improve its quality. Once filled, the kegs were s e a l e d a n d l e f t a g i n g somewhere quiet, like an attic, where thermal excur- sion between the seasons wasn't mitigated by fires and human life: indeed, the a l t e r n a t i n g o f c o l d a n d warmth was considered an important ingredient in the maturing of the wine itself. Traditionally, vin santo was left aging for about three years, although some would extend the period up to ten! In any case, it was — and is — a p r e c i o u s w i n e , i f y o u consider that one hundred chilos of fresh grapes give only about twenty-five liters of vin santo. B u t t h e o l d f a s h i o n e d way to produce vin santo wasn't free from issues. To begin with, the fermenting p r o c e s s i s m o r e c o m p l e x when there is a high percen- tage of sugar in the grapes, as it is in the case of our vin santo, made as it is fr om dried — and very sweet — grapes. And then, there was the whole habit of keeping those dregs from the pre- v i o u s v i n t a g e i n s i d e t h e k e g s , w h i c h o f t e n c a u s e d problems and gave the wine aromas not always enjoyed by drinkers. A m o d e r n t a k e o n a n ancient production To avoid these issues and to obtain a vin santo with a more delicate, purer taste, modern producers prefer to use brand new wooden kegs and kick start the fermenta- tion process using selected yeasts, that adapt well to the high sugar content of the must. However, some pro- ducers do add a very small amount of those old dregs (which we should call, more aptly, the "mother" of the wine), when they want to obtain a fuller-bodied, more traditional vintage. B e s i d e i t s u s e a s m a s s w i n e , w h i c h i s s t i l l q u i t e c o m m o n , f o r a l l t h e v a s t majority of us vin santo is a dessert wine. And it couldn't be otherwise for a wine with such a sweet, honey-like fla- v o r . U s u a l l y , o u r T u s c a n and Umbrian wine makers use Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes; when Sangiovese is preferred, then we obtain the vin santo occhio di pernice. Vin santo can be s w e e t e r o r d r i e r a n d i t ' s delicious with pasticceria s e c c a , t h a t i s , a l l s o r t o f cookies, shortcrust pastry and, of course, with cantuc- ci. Some types of vin santo are very good with cheese, too. In Umbria, vin santo is a beloved side kick to fave dei morti, almond cookies baked for All Souls Day, to c i a r a m i c o l a , a p o p u l a r Easter cake, and to torcolo, the region's own version of ciambellone della nonna. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE LUCA SIGNORINI The legendary story of Vin Santo Dipping cantucci in vin santo: what a Tuscan thing to do! (Photo: Cris Dias/Dreamstime)

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