As a wine writer, there is little I get more excited over than a new variety of wine from a grape I am unfamiliar with. Italy allows me opportunity after opportunity to taste new things. My most recent opportunity was to taste a Torcolato, a dessert wine made using the passito method from the grape Vespaiola in Breganze.
I’ll wax poetic on this grape and wine in this article, but you can read about the other wines we tasted in our article, Red Wines from Breganze and Spezzattino di Manzo.
Maculan and Breganze
As I mentioned in my last article, the family began with an Osteria 100 years ago. Angela’s Great-Grandfather made a little wine. Her grandfather started the winery after World War II. The winery is in the center of town. They did not have vineyards then, so they built the business next to their home. They are in the center of Breganze, via Castelletto, not far from the Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption, whose Campanile tower soars skyward against a backdrop of the Mountains.
Today, Fausto and his daughters Angela and Maria Vittoria run the winery.
Located north of the city of Vincenza, this area is tucked into the corner formed by the Cima Dodici and the Cima Carega Mountains. Maculan’s vineyards sit on the Asiago plateau at the edge of the Po Plain.
All the vines for Maculan wines are hand harvested.
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*We received this wine as a media sample. We received no other compensation, and all opinions are our own.
The Romance of Vespaiola and Torcolato
Vespaiola is thought to be an ancient grape from Vicenza, Italy. The name comes from Vespa or wasps, which would be attracted to the sweet fruit in the fall.
This grape was first mentioned in print in 1754 but earlier references to the wine have been noted from 1610. So Vespaiola has been a grape of note in the region for a while.
Torcolato was a wine made by farmers. The beautiful method of making this wine stems from practicality. In many regions, they dry grapes to make wines. Not so far away, this method is used near Verona to make Amarone. There, they lay the grapes out on trays to dry. This takes up space. The farmers here were more practical with their space. They wound the grape bunches into rope to hang from the ceiling. This allowed the grapes airflow for drying and left the floor clear for the storage of other items.
This method of untwisting the rope, sliding the stem of the bunch in, and then retwisting gives the wine its name. They twist or turn the rope to open the weave…Torcere is the word for “twist”.
This practical method for drying the grapes is made beautiful in the Maculan drying room,
The grapes, which are typically harvested in the third week of September when they reach ripeness, are hung in this room for four months to dry. There are windows, fans, and a temperature control system that they only use in the initial three weeks of drying. Angela says this is primarily to help dry the stems. Remember, these grapes are harvested at typical ripeness, so the stems are not entirely lignified. (*lignified is when the stems are brown and dried. These stems would be fresh and green)
In January, the grapes have lost 70% of their weight. The raisins are pressed and then fermented slowly for a month to a month and a half. Then, the wine ages in French barriques, 1/3 new and 2/3 second use.
The final wine has 150 g/L of residual sugar, balanced by bright acidity with pH levels between 8.5-9.5 (by DOC rules)
Pairings for Torcolato
Dessert pairings from the region are, of course, a great idea!
Torcolato
This wine had been made in the region by farmers for almost 250 years.
When Fausto Maculan took over the family winery, he had trained in winemaking in Conegliano and traveled extensively to taste wines from other regions. He returned to Breganze and worked to elevate the wines, taking the oxidized, syrupy Torcolato and creating a modern style Torcolato, which he then pitched door to door to the finest restaurants in the Veneto.
With his modern method, they use the appassimento method of drying the grapes in trays, but 10-15% of the grapes are still dried using the traditional method.
This is their trademark wine.
My notes:
Medium gold in color, the wine’s richness is evident before even tasting it. Tuck your nose into the glass, and you will taste apricot, honeysuckle, and orange zest, which meld into richer notes of caramel, orange marmalade, spice, honey, cooked pear, and vanilla.
This is a sweet wine with 150 g/L of residual sugar, but it retains enough acidity to prevent it from being cloying. It feels luxurious to sip.
14% abv – 150 g/L rs
Fregolotta
Fregolotta is a simple, crumbly dessert cookie or cake. Fregole means crumbs, so this simple dessert is aptly named. It is similar to Sbrisolano, an almond crumble we enjoyed in Lombardia. Fregolotta is even simpler, with just 3 ingredients, flour, powdered sugar and crème.
The classic method of making this dish is simple but messy. Sift the flour and powdered sugar and mix. Take a round pan, sprinkle it with water, then crumple a piece of parchment, and then smooth it over the bottom of the pan.
Then, you take a handful of the flour/sugar mixture in one hand and dip your other hand into the crème. Roll this together in your hands until it forms crumbs, then drop them onto the parchment. Continue with all of the flour/sugar mixture and crème. DO NOT PRESS the mixture in the pan. It is meant to be crumbly. Bake at 325 for 40 to 50 minutes. It should be golden brown.
Some recipes use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar, and many now incorporate things like almonds, jams, or dried fruits. Some recipes place this in a buttered pan, and some flatten the dough. Regardless, this is a simple sweet dish.
Pinza (Pinsa or Marantega cake)
When we spoke with Angela, she mentioned a sweet dessert made with day-old bread and dried fruits. I missed the name but found Venetian Pinsa, which seems like the right recipe. It is a peasant dish of simple ingredients and leftovers. They add honey, dried fruits, fennel seeds, and pine nuts to a dough of flour, stale bread, eggs, butter, and sugar.
In Venice, this was called marantega cake and is eaten during the New Year and during Epiphany, when Befana or Marantega, as she is known in Venice, delivers gifts to children during the 12 days of Christmas. This is one of those traditions that bridged the pagan and Christian beliefs, coinciding with the winter solstice, when people would burn old objects to make way for the new year.
On the site visitItaly.eu they share a nursery rhyme that speaks of the superstition around which way the sparks from the burned object flew.
Pan e vin, la pinsa sotto il camin
Faive a ponente, panoce gnete
Paive a levante, panoce tante
( Bread and wine, the pinsa under the fireplace
Sparks to the west, cobs, nothing
Sparks to the east, many cobs)
This wine was spectacular. You could also pair this wine with hard-aged cheeses or blue cheeses.
My pairings? While they did complement the wine, I believe my technique could use a bit of work, so there are no recipes for you today!
I do find it meaningful to dive into these recipes. Creating the fregolotta was time-consuming, but it put me in a different mindset. I didn’t have a “nonna,” but I can imagine being in the kitchen, making these simple peasant dishes, and holding on to history.
For more on the wines of this region, try these articles…
- Durella – Native vine of the Lessini Mountains that Sparkles
- The hills near Verona and the Organic, Biodynamic, and Regenerative wines of Fasoli Gino and Tasi
- Albino Armani Viticoltori dal 1607 – 16 Generations of Pinot Grigio
- Bertani – Finding a way through innovation and tradition to maintain quality amidst climate change
For more on Maculan
Visit their website at https://www.maculan.net/
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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