It is a wine so called “liqueur” produced by passito grape (it is not actually a late grape harvest) and left drying off in the garrets over layers of canes and left maturing in small oak wood barrels for a minimum of 3 years. You usually start the production in “All Saints” eve, that is at the beginning of november.
You know at least about ten of them, from Puglia to Trentino regions, from Marche to Veneto. But the tuscan Vinsanto among the passito wines is produced by Malvasia andTrebbiano vines and sometimes you add San Colombano or Grechetto to convey sweeter notes to the product.
The sources about its origin are different (cultural, traditional and historical ones).
The well known priest Cardinal Bessarione was in Firenze during the Council of Ferrara-Firenze of 1438-1439 for the union of Greek Church with the Latin one.
One day on the table the “pretto”wine was served, used as usual to serve the Holy Mass.
Bessarione raised up the glass and claimed: “Xantos!” that meant blond, yellow in his language.
Who was not greek and heard that claim soon translated that sound to the word “Santo” (Holy).
Other sources explain that the word “Xantos” told by Bessarione referred to Xantos Island (Licia's town) where a kind of wian was produced.
You don't know why he should link to tha island since it is best known for the wars occurred there than regarding the wine; In any case it could refer to “Samos” where you produce a wine much more similar to the one he was drinking.
Other reasons refer to legends and stories that carry that wine to triumphm but Tuscan Vinsanto (holy wine), though the original one is not of this land, it became the vinsanto for antonomasia.
Vines:
Sangiovese, black Canaiolo, Tuscan Trebbiano, Malvasia from Chianti and others
Colour: brilliant red rubin, Perfume: thin, featuring, aristocratic.
