UMBRIAN EXCELLENCE

Vino Santo from smoked grapes

The enological gem of the Upper Tiber Valley

Tipico Osteria Montone - 2 January 2025

2 January 2025

Slow Food Presidia: Ancient wines to save

One of the most treasured products of the enological tradition of the Upper Tiber Valley is experiencing a revival thanks to the dedication of small producers who are renewing this ancient craft.

This is the Vino Santo from Smoked Grapes a one-of-a-kind product recognized as a Slow Food Presidium for its historical and cultural value. Made from grapes that are dried and smoked using time-honored techniques passed down through generations, this sweet wine with its complex and enveloping bouquet represents a rare example of ancient knowledge preserved over time.

Originally produced by farming families, it was considered a special wine, reserved for festive occasions or to welcome important guests. Today, its production is entrusted to a few artisans who act as custodians of this tradition, offering a limited but exceptionally high-quality output.

For years, the Osteria has promoted it through classic pairings with traditional Umbrian dishes, such as aged cheeses or as a dessert wine, accompanying sweet treats. However, the Vino Santo from Smoked Grapes is also excellent as a meditation wine, to be savored slowly and appreciated for its full aromatic complexity.

"Bubbola" Vino Santo from smoked grapes - 2016 is in our Wine List. Come and taste it at the Osteria!

Vino Santo from smoked grapes of the Upper Tiber Valley Slow Food Presidium. Bubbola produced by the Morganti Family

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The production of vinosanto, a sweet wine made from raisined grapes, is traditional in all of Tuscany and Umbria’s wine-producing areas. But in the Upper Tiber Valley, around Città di Castello, over the centuries the local families developed a technique that makes their wine unique. The bunches of grapes (singly or tied together in pairs called coppiole) are dried in rooms filled with smoke from fireplaces or stoves, giving the final wine a distinct smoky note. Historically the bunches would be hung from the kitchen ceiling, allowing the smoke from the hearth to permeate the grapes, but in the 19th century this tradition became intertwined with an activity on the rise at the time: tobacco production....