Vino Santo, 2009, Trentino DOC

...Wine production is known to exist in the Lakes Valley since the sixteenth century (Toblino Castle wine, Calavino and Santa Massenza) thanks to the first witness Pincio Giano Pirro who wrote in the Annals , also known as chronicles of Trento (1648): "...a much more lavish banquet, very rich of wines was prepared on September 12, 1536 for the arrival of King Ferdinand to Trent ... as a rule they served sweet wines, among which excelled the Moscato Bianco di Calavino,… the unsurpassable Vino Santo (Holy Wine), produced on the hills of Santa Massenza” and to the famous chronicler of the Trent Council Michelangelo Mariani, who, toghether with the the Holy Council in Trent (1673) defines the wines of Castel Toblino "rare and lovable”. The Nosiola grapes are collected late in the season. They rest for at least 5- 6 months on the so-called "arele". On these racks the grapes are exposed to winds that blow in the morning and afternoon and wither, developing inside a noble rot (botrytis cinerea) that accentuates their dehydration. The synergistic action of time and the wind causes the loss of about 80 % of the weight of the grape: form 100 kg of Nosiola it is possible to obtain only 15/18 liters of must and then sweet wine. The crushing takes place during Easter Week (this is likely the origin of the name Vino Santo, “Holy Wine”) , i.e. between March and April of the year following the vintage. At that time the slow natural fermentation of the sugars in alcohol begins. The sugars are very concentrated because of prolonged drying. Such fermentation, which continues for three to four years, takes place in barrels of oak and steel, where the wine remains in equilibrium until bottling. The nineteenth-century farm of James Sommadossi , "manager “ of Toblino Castle, was producing fine wines in its cellar of Sarche (at the post office) , as it is attested by several ancient documents and awards such as the original diploma of 1881 "FOR VINO SANTO PURO 1825", Melbourne International Exhibition – Australia; G. Sommadossi , Vienna, Austro - Hungary and other diplomas obtained in Paris in 1878, in Trieste in 1882, Amsterdam in 1883, Antwerp in 1885, and handwritten labels of Austrian production of that time. Even the well-known German writer and poet Josef Viktor von Scheffel , who was travelling in 1855 through the Trentino region (Tyrol) with the painter and friend Anselm Feuerbach , stayed two months in the castle, met and accurately described the Sommadossi - named the Elder – and the Vino Santo he was offering. The Farm Rauten reflects the heritage of the Farm Sommadossi. Dario Salvetta, who was born in Bolognano d'Arco (Trento) in 1887 and died in Sarche (Trento) in 1972 bought the farm in the early thirties. The farm is now managed by his son and winemaker Giancarlo who continues to propose the well-known Vino Santo . Fine sweet wine for meditation with characteristic traits of raisin, fruit and jam, Vino Santo should be served at a temperature of 10 - 12 degrees C

VINEYARD LOCATION Sarche, Trento, Rauten Vineyard, along the river Sarca (Sarca Valley).

TERRAIN Alluvial medium texture, with gravel.

VINEYARD CHARACTERISTICS Organic Certification since 2012. Three parcels totaling 1.5 hectars (6,000 vines per hectare), simple Guyot, with chestnut poles.

VINIFICATION Crushing of the grapes at 5-6 months after collection (which occurs late in the season), and natural fermentation for 3-4 years in oak and steel barrels