05 Feb Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Maculan Torcolato 2022, Breganze DOC, Italy

Sweet wines always seem to get a bad rap. They are often overlooked and underrated. But there is no shame in loving a beautiful, sweet wine that balances the acidity and sugar to provide a delicious sip. And that is how I felt when sipping the Maculan Torcolato 2022, Breganze DOC, Italy. In addition, you might think that a “sweet” wine is only for dessert. But the Maculan Torcolato 2022, Breganze DOC, Italy can be enjoyed on its own or with sweet or savory dishes and that is why it is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About Breganze DOC

In the heart of the Veneto region, in the Province of Vicenza, is the small town of Breganze. Breganze lies in the foothills of the Alps. The region is made up of 70% hills with volcanic, tufa, and basaltic soils and 30% is on flats with gravel soils. The Alps protect the region from cold air. Temperatures are moderate. The diurnal variation between day and night temperatures results in wines that are fresh and vibrant.

The Breganze DOC was established in 1969 and covers 324 hectares (800 acres). In Breganze, they produce red and white wines from both local and international grapes. But the wine that Breganze is most known for is a dessert-style wine called Torcolato made with the indigenous grape Vespaiola.

There are 17 wineries in the DOC. The largest producer is the cooperative. The second largest producer is the family-owned, multi-generational Maculan.

About Maculan

Maculan was founded in 1947 by Giovanni Maculan who initially made wine for local consumption. In 1973, his son Fausto Maculan, who had been sent to Conegliano to study wine, took over the family business and began to focus on quality. He understood that quality wine was made from quality grapes, and he began leasing vineyards that he could farm. In 1986 he purchased land and planted 12 hectares (30 acres) of vines. Today Maculan has 50 hectares (123.5 acres) and also purchases grapes from farmers they have worked with for years.

Maculan vineyards are mostly on the hillsides. For their red wines, they work with the international varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, and the indigenous variety Marzemino. For their white wines, they work with Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Tai (aka Friulano), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Vespaiolo. Maculan produces still wines, sparkling wines, and sweet wines.

About Torcolato

Vespaiolo is the queen of white grapes found primarily in the Veneto region. It is used for dry white wines but also used for sweet wines due to its naturally intense acidity. There are writings about the grape that date back to 1754. In the old days, it was an oxidized wine that was syrupy. But that is not what it is today.

Torcolato, which means twisted, is a wine made from Vespaiolo grapes left to dry on giant, corkscrew strands hung from attic ceilings. The grapes are harvested when ripe (not late-harvest). They are gently twisted with string into a vertical column and then hung to dry for four months (from September to January) in a room. Once the stems are dry, the windows and doors are opened to let air in. The grapes are pressed when they have lost 70% of their weight. Fermentation takes place over 1 – 1.5 months and then the wine is aged for one year, half in new oak and half in aged oak.

The Maculan Torcolato 2022, Breganze DOC has seductive aromatics of dried apricot and mango, fig, honey, nutmeg, and roasted chestnuts. The wine has 150 g/l of residual sugar, which is a lot. But you would not know it. The naturally high acidity of the wine balances the sweetness. As a result the wine is rich but it is not sweetly cloying and it has a long, mouthwatering finish.

Food Pairing

The Maculan Torcolato 2022, Breganze DOC is a wine that you can sip on its own after a meal. As for food pairings, it is traditionally paired with fruit-based desserts and milder, creamier Italian blue cheeses. I enjoyed the wine with the classic pairings of a triple cream cheese and almond biscotti. But I also tried it with shrimp scampi pasta. And it worked with all three dishes, demonstrating that a wine with residual sugar is far more versatile than many may think.

With the Brillat-Savarin, a soft-ripened triple cream cow’s milk cheese from Burgundy, France, the rich creaminess of the cheese contrasted with the acidity of the wine. With the shrimp scampi, the fat and butter of the dish was balanced by the sweetness and acidity of the wine. And with the almond biscotti, the pairing was balanced as the biscotti were crunchy but not sweet.

Where to Purchase

The Maculan Torcolato 2022 is not yet in the United States but the 2021 is available. A full bottle (750ml) retails for approximately $37 (or $25 for a half bottle).