This wine owes its special name to its production process, with the grapes made into wine during Holy Week (“Settimana Santa”). After the harvest in October, the grapes from the indigenous Nosiola vine are laid out on a special wooden grille (“aréla”) and exposed to the Ora wind to dry.
The grapes then lose around 80% of their volume, with every 100 kilos of raw fruit producing some 16 litres of grape must following drying. The grapes are pressed shortly before Easter during a festival to celebrate the process, with the fine juice then stored in oak barrels for at least six years. This protracted manufacturing process allows Vino Santo to be kept for 50 years and more.
Its dark gold colour and the almost oily character of Vino Santo Trentino DOC make this wine a noble accompaniment for high-quality cheeses and elegant desserts. But the Vino Santo can develop its full strength even in its purest form, as a wine for a meditative mood. It is a masterpiece that also meets the strict quality criteria of the “Presidio Slow Food”.
