Vin santo

The nectar of hospitality


Not just with sweets. The taste of Siena and Tuscany also comes to the table through an after-meal wine defined as the nectar of hospitality. This wine has legendary origins deeply linked to the religious sphere. According to some, the term was coined during the plague of Siena in 1348 when, what was previously a simple sweet wine for mass, became a drink for the treatment of the dying who exclaimed "vinsanto" given the relief it brought. Other stories make it derive from the "Xantos" pronounced by the bishop of Nicaea on the occasion of the Council of 1439. What makes this wine special is the high sugar concentration obtained from the fermentation in wooden containers of the must from dried grapes of the best bunches. A typical Tuscan pairing is vin santo with cantucci.