This year, the new production of the D.O.C. Breganze passito Torcolato wine will have the taste of special vintages.
On Sunday, January 19, Breganze in Vicenza (Veneto – Italy) hosts the 30th edition of “Prima del Torcolato“, featuring the first pressing of dried Vespaiola grapes.
This anniversary marks thirty years of Torcolato’s D.O.C. status in Breganze, celebrating an event deeply rooted in Veneto’s winemaking culture.
History and tradition
The history of the territory and its deep peasant roots are intertwined with that of Torcolato wine.
This connection dates back to 1890. Then, the name Torcolato first appeared to identify the famous passito wine, which later became a symbol of the D.O.C. Breganze.
Over a century of tradition found a new expression thirty years ago with the public ritual of the first pressing. After drying for four months in the cellars’ fruit lofts, winemakers press Vespaiola grape clusters in the square to toast with the first must of the new vintage.
“Reaching the 30th edition is a great source of pride for the entire Consortium and its member wineries,” says Giuseppe Vittorio Santacatterina, President of the Consortium for the Protection of D.O.C. Breganze Wines. “Torcolato DOC Breganze has faced head-on the crisis that has affected sweet wines in Italy in recent years, maintaining stable market demand. Its uniqueness, as an expression of the territory from which it comes, is the strength of this sweet passito wine made from the finest Vespaiola grapes, the native grape variety of Breganze. The challenge for the next five years,” Santacatterina continues, “will be to raise the profile of Torcolato even higher in Italy and abroad. This goal can only be achieved with the ”.
The 30th “Prima del Torcolato” program
The 30th “Prima del Torcolato” will begin at 9:00 AM with the opening of the Traditional Products Market and the Torcolato stand in the square, organised by the Pro Loco Breganze.
Visitors will be able to taste Torcolato from the producers of the Consortium for the Protection of D.O.C. Breganze Wines and try “La Pèca del Salbaneo,” an artisan sweet made with three exceptional ingredients: Torcolato D.O.C. Breganze, the Marostica I.G.P. cherry, and extra virgin olive oil from the Pedemontana del Grappa Cooperative.
The event will feature ‘Brindisi in Campanile’ from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. It includes guided tours of the Diedo Tower, one of Veneto’s tallest bell towers. Visitors can also enjoy a unique high-altitude Torcolato tasting, organized by the Arci-Ciacola Association and the Breganze Campanari Group.
Starting at 2:15 PM, the highlight of the event will begin with the folkloric parade of the Magnifica Fraglia del Torcolato D.O.C. Breganze, followed by speeches from local authorities and the induction of new Confratelli and the Ambassador of Torcolato for 2025. Ivan Bigarella, a renowned cartoonist and illustrator from Vicenza, will receive this year’s title. He is famous for creating Disney covers featuring Mickey Mouse and Paperinik and will be celebrated during the event.
The ceremony will conclude with a collective toast with the first must of the 2024 Torcolato harvest, pressed in the characteristic press set up in the square.
Finally, from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM, the “Fruttaio Tour” will return, offering free guided tours at eight participating wineries:
- Cantina Beato Bartolomeo Da Breganze
- Col Dovigo, IoMazzuccato
- Le Colline Di Vitacchio Gianpietro
- Maculan
- Miotti Firmino
- Transit Farm
- Vitacchio Massimo.
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