Breganze Torcolato is a sweet white wine made from Vespaiolo grapes grown in the Breganze area of Veneto, north-eastern Italy.
The Breganze growing area is located in Veneto's viticultural no-man's land. It is entirely distinct, stylistically and geographically, from every other Veneto DOC. Breganze town itself lies precisely 33 miles from Treviso to the east and Verona to the west, almost as if to reinforce its distinction from the Prosecco and Valpolicella/Soave zones respectively.
Although Torcolato is the style most often associated with Breganze, and the wine which has earned the region the most respect, there are more than ten forms of Breganze wine, both red and white, varietal and blended. These are typically produced in light, dry styles, not so much out of choice but because the climate in this part of Italy is particularly cool and the growing season correspondingly short. In fact, it is precisely for this reason that the Torcolato style came to be created.
Rather than put up with the highly astringent wines which result from making Vespaiolo in a dry style, Breganze's winemakers chose to leave their grapes to sweeten naturally on the vine before making them into wine; the wasps (vespe) that buzz dozily around the sweetening berries on warm autumn days are the origin for the name Vespaiolo. The dried-grape (passito) Breganze Torcolato wines made here are from 100% Vespaiolo, and are sweet, golden, honey-scented nectars with tempting aromas of ripe peach and spiced apricots.
