This dessert wine from Vignamaggio in Chianti, Tuscany, is a rich golden yellow colour with amber reflections. Vinsanto is a sweet wine made from dried Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes, aged in oak, with a dried fruit aroma, honey and nuts. It is warm on the palate, intense, distinctly sweet but held together by a nice acidity.

After a natural desiccation period of three months in a ventilated room, the grapes are pressed and the resulting wine must is placed, without the skins, in small 75-100 litre caratelli oak barrels in the fifteenth century cellar on the property, where it ferments and remains for at least four years before it is bottled.

BOUQUET ; Rich fragrance of honey and nuts

TASTE ; Distrincly sweet but held toghether by a nice acidity

SERVE ; Best served with a cheese board, chosen from The Cheese and Wine Shop of Wellington, and preserves and crackers. Vin Santo pairs well with creamy, salty blue cheeses like Gorgonzola and Stilton, as the wine’s sweetness and acidity balance the cheese’s strong flavor. It also pairs well with hard Italian cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano.