Vin Santo di Montepulciano DOC is a sweet passito wine from the hills around the town of Montepulciano in the province of Siena in Toscana. The appellation was established in 1996 and is administered by the same consorzio behind the dry red wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. The two should not be confused. This is not about powerful red wine, but about a discipline all its own with roots in Tuscan tradition.
The wine is made in very small quantities from dried grapes. After the harvest, the grapes are set out for slow drying (appassimento), so that sugar and flavour become concentrated before the wine matures quietly in small barrels called caratelli. This gives a nutty, oxidative style, and the ageing takes time. The standard version must age at least three years, Riserva five years and the special Occhio di Pernice a full six years.
The white and amber-coloured versions are based predominantly on Malvasia Bianca, Trebbiano Toscano and Grechetto, locally known as Pulcinculo. Occhio di Pernice, on the other hand, is a reddish interpretation, made from Sangiovese, which in Montepulciano is known as Prugnolo Gentile. It is the same grape that underpins the area's great red wines, but here shown from a sweeter and more contemplative side.
A Vin Santo is typically enjoyed after the meal, preferably in a smaller glass with a little carved cheese or quite simply on its own as the close of a long evening. The Tuscan classic is to dip the dry cantuccini almond biscuits into the glass, but the wine also stands well on its own. With its sweetness, its depth and its long stay in barrel, it is a good place to begin if you would like to get to know the sweet side of Toscana.