Torcolato: The Prized Dessert Wine of Breganze with Maculan

Earlier this year I attended a virtual tasting hosted by Studio Cru featuring the wines of the Maculan winery located in the Veneto wine region of northeastern Italy.  Angela Maculan, 4th generation operating the winery today, walked us through several wines that the winery produces with a fantastic overview of the territory.  I want to focus on a special dessert wine, Torcolato, that I had been unfamiliar with prior to the tasting.  Torcolato is not only a special wine that Maculan produces, but it is also unique to this particular area of the Veneto, within the territory of Breganze.   

About the Maculan winery 

The Maculan family’s wine beginnings started with the great grandfather, Gaetano, whom used to sell wine that he made at his little osteria in the 20’s and 40’s. During World War II his son, Giovanni, started to make wine with his father to provide it for the army station.  In 1947 Giovanni decided to start and build the winery we know today, Maculan.   

In 1973 Fausto Maculan took over the winery.  Fausto was encouraged by his father to attend the School of Oenology Conegliano to be a winemaker.  He first started leasing the land to produce wine until he later purchased it. Fausto was joined by his two daughters, Angela that joined in 1997 and Maria Vittoria that joined in 2007.   

Maria Vittoria, Fausto and Angela Maculan

Maculan is located in Breganze, a town in the northern part of the Veneto region about 1 hour northeast of Verona and North of Vicenza.  The winery sits at the base of the Asiago Plateau right in the center of town close to the main piazza. 

Maculan winery

This area is mostly warm with cooling breezes that come down from the Dolomites.  The soils of the area are poor, low in nutrients, and are made up of clay, silt and volcanic rock.  Irrigation isn’t allowed and the soil provides great drainage.   

Maculan vineyards

Maculan works with several native and international grape varietals.  These international varietals were introduced by the noble Venetian families in the 1800’s.  The main grapes that Maculan produces are Vespaiola, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, the white grape Tai, Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Marzemino.  The grapes are hand harvested, and many of the grapes are estate grown, but some are purchased from farmers they have had lasting relationships with for the last 20-25 years.   

What is Torcolato? 

Torcolato is rich dessert wine made 100% from the white grape, Vespaiola.  The name stems from the word vespa, meaning wasps in Italian, that are attracted to the sweetnessof these grapes. This grape has historically been documented as far back as 1754.   

Torcolato is golden in color and is made as a passito style, where the grapes are dried before fermentation creating luscious aromas and mouthfeel with notes of fruits (tropical and stone fruits), including dried fruits and honey.  They’re full-bodied and have sweet, concentrated flavors with high levels of sugar backed by good acidity to prevent these wines from becoming cloying. 

The Vespaiola grapes are traditionally twisted and hung to dry on a string called a rosolo for a number of months concentrating the sugars in the grapes. The twisting of the grapes stems from the word torcere, meaning to twist, hence the name Torcolato. 

rosoli

Torcolato, and the Vespaiola grape, are unique to the Breganze DOC.  The Breganze DOC is a small DOC created in 1969 that covers the areas of the Breganze town as well as the hilly areas between the Astico and Brenta Rivers.  It covers approximately 600 hectares encompassing 17 smaller family-owned wineries with Maculan being the second largest winery with about 50 hectares (120 acres).  Almost all, but 2%, of the grapes vinified come from the hills which accounts for 70% of the territory made up of the volcanic, tuffaceous and basaltic terroir.  The other 30% is made up of plains with gravelly, pebbly soils. 

The Wine 

The Torcolato is the dessert wine that the Maculan treasures.  The 2022 Maculan Torcolato is made from the Vespaiola grape.  Rich golden color with amber hues.  It has an unctuous texture, round on the palate with notes of honey and dried apricots.  A tasty treat that lingers on the finish.  SRP $42 (per wine searcher). 

Maculan is a large producer of Torcolato in the Breganze DOC producing about 17,000 of the 20-25,000 bottles produced in this area.  They make 4 different styles of Vespaiola based wines to explore. 

If you’re a lover of dessert wines this is one you’ll want to explore. 

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.  

Importer: Massanois Imports 

The Sweetness of Moscato d'Asti with Ca'd'Gal Wines

A week ago, on May 9th, was National Moscato Day.  Whether you're a follower of these national wine days or not, it provides the perfect opportunity to have a reason to explore wine grapes or wine regions and try something new or that you haven’t had in some time.  In my house we are lovers of dessert wines, especially the lighter, less unctuous styles that are refreshing like Moscato d’Asti can be. 

Ca’d’Gal Winery 

I attended a virtual tasting some months ago hosted by Studio Cru and was led by the owner of the Ca’d’Gal winery, Alessandro Varagnolo.   

Alessandro Varagnolo - copyright of Cadgal

The Ca’d’Gal brand has 2 wineries in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  One is Tenuta Valdivilla, set in the hills of the Langhe wine region in the town of Santo Stefano Belbo covering 6 hectares.  A few kilometers away, in the gentle hills of the Monferrato area in Calamandrana, is the other property, Tenuta La Cova.  This property has 9 hectares of vineyards with another 5 hectares of hazelnuts and the rest of the surrounding area is covered by forest.  It was established back in 1989, but Alessandro took the winery over 2 years ago since the prior owner, Alessandro Buido, didn’t have children to pass his legacy on to. 

Ca'd'Gal winery - copyright of Cadgal

The soils of the area are rich in marine sediment and the hills contain a crumbly soil with a high amount of limestone in their southern slopes. 

The steep slopes of Ca'd'Gal winery - copyright of Cadgal

The Ca’d’Gal Wines 

All the wines of Ca’d’Gal featured today are produced with the Moscato, or Muscat grape, which typically produce white wines that have beautiful fruity aromatics followed by fruitful notes on the palate of peach and apricot.  If you are a lover of wines that are sweet these are for you! 

The Ca’d’Gal Asti Spumante DOCG is made 100% from Moscato Bianco from and comes from their youngest vineyards, 20-45 years in age.  This is a newer wine they’re producing drawn up from the demand from the American market for a fresh wine.   It is made with the charmat, or Martinotti method, where the fermentation was stopped at 7% ABV.  Floral aromas with apricot notes. Delicate and light bubbles on the palate.  A nice balance with a touch of sweetness with stone fruit notes.   

The 2023 Ca’d’Gal Lumine Moscato d’Asti DOCG is named after lumin in Italian, representing the sun touched grapes grown in the vineyards.  This is their largest production at 50,000 bottles annually.  With this wine the fermentation is stopped at 5% ABV.  Bright, brilliant straw colored in the glass with aromas of peach and apricot.  A light effervescence and light bodied on the palate with a touch of sweetness.  A pleasurable wine to sip! 

The 2023 Ca’d’Gal Sant’Ilario Canelli DOCG is made from a single vineyard of 70-year-old vines on sandy soils.  The wine is kept in stainless steel at 0 degrees after filtration with the lees until the spring bottling and is released in September of the following year.  Floral stone fruit aromas also showing on the palate with a light effervescence and nice minerality on the finish. 

The 2016 Ca’d’Gal Vite Vecchia Moscato d’Asti DOCG, also called vigna vecchia, comes from a single vineyard in Valdivilla in a southeast position known as “sori”.  This is their last wine to harvest so that the grapes are overripe for balance of the sugar and acidity.   These bottles are left to age for 60 months in a temperature-controlled grotto made of tufo that is dark and humid providing a natural aging environment.  This is where the “magic happens” as Alessandro expressed.  The bottles lay in sand filled wooden boxes.  They have found that this results in the wines having a richness and finesse allowing the bottles to withstand longevity.   

Ca'd'Gal Vite Vecchia wines in sand - copyright of Cadgal

Yellow and straw colored with aromas of tangerine and apricot.  Beautiful freshness and finesse with a well-balanced wine showing stone fruit on the palate and a hint of an herbal characteristic.  This wine is produced in limited quantities. 

What kinds of food can I pair with Moscato?   

Although I tend to drink Moscato on its own, it can be a great accompaniment to a charcuterie board with dried meats or even paired with spicy foods and of course select dessert dishes.

Although Ca'd'Gal isn't sold on wine.com you can find many other Moscato d'Asti wines to sample at Wine.com in support of Vino Travels.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through affiliate links.

 

Blaufränkisch of Upstate New York's Finger Lakes Region

The Finger Lakes wine region of upstate New York has always held a special place in my heart.  It’s the reason why I first started to get into wine from my annual visits I use to take to the region many years ago.  Sadly, I haven’t been back since my first born was just a baby so I’m long overdue considering he is about to be 9 in a couple months.  A friend and local fellow wine lover, Alison Miller of Artisan Wine Group, recently had a wine tasting girls' night at her house with Laura of the Wine Travelista, where our theme was the Finger Lakes wine region.  We were also joined by our other wine loving friend, Laura of the WineTravelista. I was thrilled to revisit this beloved region. 

When our World Wine Travel writer's group’s theme this month was featuring lesser known regions, I immediately thought of the Finger Lakes for a couple reasons.  One, because I’ve always been a big fan of this region, and two because of my recent wine tasting of the Blaufränkisch grape from this region that I thought would be a unique and fun grape to share that most may not be familiar with.   

Let’s look at the Finger Lakes wine region and more about this grape along with the featured wines. 

The Finger Lakes wine region 

If you’re in the Boston area, like myself, the Finger Lakes wine region is about 400 miles west taking about 6 hours to reach.  If you’re coming from the Canadian side in Toronto, it’s about a 3.5-hour ride.  The Finger Lakes is well worth the drive and visit no matter your location as you’ll be swept away by the vineyards lining the shores of the many lakes that inhabit the region.  As you’ll see from the map, the region gets it name from the shape of the lakes in the form of fingers that were carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago.   

Sourced from Finger Lakes Wine Alliance

The Finger Lakes AVA, American Viticultural Area, was established back in 1982 and encompasses three different wine trails across Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake and Keuka Lake.  The region contains 11 lakes, but the prior 3 lakes mentioned along with Canandaigua Lake make up the majority of where the 150+ wineries are located.  Cayuga Lake is the longest of them at 40 miles long and Seneca Lake claims the deepest at over 600 feet deep. 

The Finger Lakes region is a cool climate region where the lakes create a cooling affect for the vineyards during the warmer months and it also helps protect them from the first onset of frost as it approaches in the fall/winter timeframe.  Each lake and has its own depths and elevations that all create microclimates within each AVA and wine territory. 

You’ll find a find a large variety of grapes produced through the Finger Lakes wine region, but it’s most known for its world class Rieslings.  Each winery you visit will most likely produce Riesling in a variety of styles from dry to semi-dry to semi-dry and sweet.  Other vinifera grapes include Cabernet Franc, which is another known grape of this region, as well as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer.  There are several unique grapes like Blaufränkisch, Saperavi and Gruner Veltliner as well as hybrids like Seyval, Cayuga White, Vignoles, Vidal Blanc and Chancellor to name a few. 

The Blaufränkisch grape 

I became familiar with Blaufränkisch when I first started visiting the Finger Lakes region about 20 years ago since it was introduced in wineries at that time as Lemberger.  This is typically what it is called in Germany. The grape is rooted in Austria but is found across several eastern European countries to include Slovenia, Hungary and others. 

Blaufränkisch does particularly well in the Finger Lakes cool climate.   

Although Blaufränkisch can be produced in a variety of styles, as I experienced from the two wines I’ll be sharing, there are some common characteristics that you will find.  It’s a dark-skinned grape that lends some nice color to the glass.  It’s a mid to late ripening grape.  It typically will show darker fruits along with spice and possibly some pepper.  It brings good acidity and tannin to the wines and because of this is very food friendly and versatile. 

The Wines 

We tasted two Blaufränkisch from both Ravines Wine Cellars and Knapp Winery.  Two very different styles of Blaufränkisch so it truly is a matter of personal preference.  Although I personally enjoyed the Ravines Blaufränkisch, I think the Blaufränkisch from Knapp Winery, with a little chill, can be enjoyable as well. 

Ravines Wine Cellar is located on Keuka Lake and is celebrating 25 years since it was first established.  Today, Ravines has 130 across multiple vineyard sites at both Keuka and Seneca Lake.  Owners, Morten and Lisa Hallgren, aim to produce wines that are dry, and mineral driven which also practicing sustainable farming methods.  

Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake - sourced from Ravines Wine Cellars

Morten and Lisa Hallgren - sourced from Ravines Wine Cellars

The 2015 Ravines Wine Cellars Blaufränkisch I could not locate technical notes on, and I didn’t see it is something that they still produce today based on their website, except in their Ravinous Red where it is blended with Merlot for their wine club members.  This wine was dark ruby in color with aromas of jammy fruits (raspberry, plum, black cherry) with a hint of black licorice and spice.  Medium to fuller-bodied, prior fruits listed showing nicely on the palate.  It was well-balanced with a touch of vanilla with subtle tannin.  ABV 12.5% 

The Knapp winery is located on neighboring Cayuga Lake.  It is in celebration of its 40th anniversary from when the original owners, Doug and Susan Knapp, first established it.  It did change hands in 2021 with new ownership over to Cole and Karen Wilson.  

Sourced from Knapp Winery

Karen and Cole Wilson - sourced from Knapp Winery

The 2021 Knapp Winery Blaufränkisch was a very different wine from the prior tasted.  A transparent light brick colored wine with aromas of white pepper, wet rock and a mustiness.  This wine was more sour, tart cherry with pepper and dried herbs.  ABV 11.2%, SRP $29.  Knapp’s Blaufränkisch also won “Best in Class Blaufränkisch in the 2022 Governor’s Cup”.

There is no better way to understand wines by visiting the wineries themselves, but you can always start getting familiar with them by locating these wines in your local market or by joining the wine clubs.  The Finger Lakes wine producers are crafting quality wines well worth experiencing that define their territory and show the capabilities of what has developed in this region.   

Discover many of the world’s lesser-known wine regions with our wine writers' group.  Here are some of the topics being covered.

• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles dishes on “Liechtenstein, Valle d’Aosta and the Umpqua Valley – a few wine regions you may may not be familiar with”

• Martin from Enoflyz Wine Blog shares “Beyond the Usual: Discovering Teran from Slovenia’s Coastal Karst”

• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator showcases “Discovering Virginia Wine + Cuisine via the Governor’s Cup Case 2025: 3 Red Blends with Ham, Gratin, Greens”

• Cathie from Side Hustle Vino adds “Off The Beaten Vineyard in Guanajuato, Mexico”

• Andrea from The Quirky Cork brings “Greece’s Most Ancient Grape Finds a Home on the Slopes of Meliton”

• Camilla from Culiary Cam writes “Rkatsiteli: An Ancient Grape from the Oldest Wine-Producing Region on Earth” (you're here)

• Terri from Our Good Life joins with “New-to-Me Wine Region: Affinitas Sarga Muskotaly in Hungary”

• Wendy from A Day in the Life On The Farm pens “Sipping a Chardonnay from the Fingers Lake Area”

• And Susannah at Avvinare, will write about “Discovering Brda in Slovenia”

 

You can find many of the wines of the Finger Lakes on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels or try out many of the region's wine clubs.

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*I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through affiliate links.