When you think of Italian wines the first that usually come to mind are the reds: the Super Tuscans, chianti classico, sangiovese, nebbiolo, montepulciano. Italian whites bring to mind pinot grigio and trebbiano. But when it comes to dessert wines, thoughts tend to stray from Italy to the sauternes of France, and the wonderful “stickies” produced in Australian, the United States and Canada. Moscato d’Asti is known for its sweetness, but its sparkling character makes it more appropriate as a before dinner aperitivo than a dessert wine.
But since the middle ages Italians have been drinking a dessert wine that is as delicious as it is versatile. Vin santo is referred to as the wine of saints, nectar of the gods, or holy wine.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.