Torcolato di Breganze: a unique Italian passito wine
Torcolato di Breganze is an Italian passito wine. I know sweet wines aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re true Italian gems that deserve to be celebrated. One of these is the Torcolato DOC from Breganze.
The history and tradition of Torcolato DOC Breganze
The origin of the name
The name Torcolato first appeared in 1890 to identify this famous passito wine, which later became the symbol of the Breganze DOC.
This tradition found a new expression thirty years ago with the ritual of the first public pressing after four months of drying in the fruit cellars. The Vespaiola grape bunches are pressed in the square for the traditional toast with the first must of the new vintage.
On January 19, 2025, the 30th anniversary of this event, which is highly cherished in this region as “Prima del Torcolato,” was celebrated.
“Reaching the 30th edition is a source of great pride for the Consortium and the associated wineries,” says Giuseppe Vittorio Santacatterina, President of the Consortium for the protection of the Breganze DOC wines. “Torcolato DOC Breganze has successfully faced the crisis that has affected sweet wines in Italy in recent years, maintaining stable market demand. Its uniqueness, an expression of the territory where it originates, is the strength of this sweet passito wine obtained from the finest Vespaiola grape bunches, the indigenous grape variety of Breganze.”
Torcolato Doc Breganze: characteristics and tasting experience
Organoleptic characteristics
Torcolato DOC Breganze is an Italian sweet white wine.
- Production area: Veneto region, northeastern Italy
- Grape varieties: min. 85% Vespaiola – max. 15% Pinot Blanc and/or Pinot Gris and/or Chardonnay and/or Sauvignon.
- Production method: The grapes are dried following the ancient local tradition.
- Alcohol: > 14% Vol.
- Appearance: White wine with a color ranging from golden to dark amber yellow.
- Aroma & Taste: The nose is intense, with typical honey and dried raisins notes. It can range from sweet to medium sweet, and is round, velvety, with a nice acidity.
Over time, a bottle of Torcolato passito from Breganze DOC can evolve incredibly. In the first few years, the wine’s typical sweet notes emerge, ranging from dates to honey to dried apricots. As it evolves, more balsamic hints can emerge, and occasionally, even hydrocarbon notes.
A vertical tasting of Torcolato DOC Breganze
I also had the fortune to participate in a vertical tasting of old vintages of Torcolato, from 1998 to 2016, and it was a magnificent journey. The wines tasted were:
- Le Vie di Angarano – Vintage 2016
- Transit Farm – Vintage 2015
- Io Mazzucato – Vintage 2014
- Col Dovigo – Vintage 2011
- Ca Biasi – Vintage 2009
- Beato Bartolomeo – Vintage 2007
- Firmino Miotti – Vintage 2005
- Massimo Vitacchio – Vintage 2004
- Maculan – Vintage 1998
Each represents a snapshot of its territory and, simultaneously, the hand of those who produced them.
The Magnificent Fraglia of Torcolato di Breganze
Torcolato DOC Breganze deeply connects to every citizen’s social and personal fabricin this small northern Italian town. On January 19, 2002, the community officially founded the Magnificent Fraglia of Torcolato DOC Breganze in the main square of Breganze (Vicenza, Italy). This association aims to promote and enhance Breganze Torcolato D.O.C. wine in Italy and worldwide.
Nineteen Founding Members were appointed, chosen among prominent figures from the province of Vicenza’s cultural and entrepreneurial spheres.
With the “Prima del Torcolato Vendemmia 2014” event held on January 18, 2015, the Magnificent Fraglia of Torcolato D.O.C. Breganze’s membership grew to 57.
They chose a motto that has become their banner:
“Di Breganze il Torcolato è delizia del palato”
(“Torcolato from Breganze is a delight for the palate”).
The symbol of the Magnificent Fraglia
The emblem of the Magnificent Fraglia features an ancient stone votive altar from the Roman era, originally from Breganze. It is adorned with a high-relief carving of a vine tree with grape clusters and the Latin inscription “AUCTUS.” This artifact is of great historical significance for Vicenza’s viticulture, as it is evidence of vine cultivation in that area dating back to ancient times.
The Fraglia’s official attire
The Magnificent Fraglia has its official uniform: a tunic cloak in the colours of the vine and wine—smooth green velvet with golden yellow and brown inserts. The outfit is completed with a cape featuring a bronze medallion of the Fraglia, with the name “Magnifica Fraglia Torcolato D.O.C. Breganze” embroidered in gold on the shoulder.
Historical origins of the name “Magnificent Fraglia”
The term Magnificent Fraglia was already used in medieval times in Vicenza to denote guilds and brotherhoods formed by producers, artists, and craftsmen who shared common goals and aspirations.
It’s an easy transition from a traditional passito sweet wine to a traditional dessert! Click here to discover the traditional Carnival dessert of the Italian Dolomites.
