Vin Santo DOC Occhio di Pernice

Vin Santo Toscano belongs to ancient tradition. It is a wine associated with hospitality and being together. In the Tuscan countryside it was traditional to offer the wine to guests, and to give a small cask as a wellwishing gift before the birth of a baby. The name apparently derives from the fact that the grapes used were left to dry until Holy Week (Easter week), when they were crushed and pressed.

TYPE OF SOIL: Limestone-marl, rich in stony material, well-aspected.

TRAINING SYSTEM: Spurred cordon.

HARVEST: Strictly manual. The bunches are carefully laid in small cases and taken immediately to the drying room.

WINEMAKING METHOD: Only the healthiest, ripest bunches are selected, hand-picked and placed in cases. The grapes are dried in a dry, well-aired room for several months. Natural dehydration modifies their composition and enriches the grape juice, which can develop up to 17% alcohol. The dried grapes are then pressed and vinified in traditional small wooden containers («caratelli») with local yeats called «madre».

AGEING NOTE: The must ferments very slowly, due to the high sugar content and low temperature, in the small «caratelli». The Vin Santo drying room is situated in attic space to maximise day-night temperature variation. The Vin Santo matures for over 10 years in these typical casks before bottling.