Taking part at the opening of the so-called “caratelli” (small wood casks) is as to participate in a treasure hunt.
After the wine has aged for four years, we open the casks and carefully taste the products they contain in order to check their flavour and quality. Some barrels will have a dry or semi-dry taste if the yeasts have completed their long work of digesting the sugars; other barrels may have a sweet or semi-sweet taste if this process has not yet been completed; in others, the product may have developed mould, or the contents may have even evaporated.
Thus each “caratello” is like a unique treasure chest, you do not know the content: when we open the seal, we discover the richness each small barrel has inside and the surprise is always great: you immediately smell the scent of Vin Santo in the air and in your glass, and taste its dryness or sweetness.
An event which features the mission of Giuseppe Marini, connoisseur of eno-gastronomy as a “science of happiness” as defined by Carlo Petrini, a professional gastronome, because “it mixes the old with the new, scientific explanations with beliefs and sacredness, respect for others with self-respect”.
Opening the “caratelli” with many friends and wine lovers, who come from different parts of Italy to taste the new Vin Santo with us, is really a unique experience.
