In the glass
Aroma: Sauternes-style botrytis, quince, orange marmalade, spice, roasted nuts
Palate: intense honey sweetness, tropical fruit, ginger, very long persistence
One of Italy's greatest botrytised dessert wines. Acininobili (noble berries) is produced from 100% botrytis-affected Vespaiola grapes, selected berry by berry in the best vintages. The Sauternes influence is explicit: Maculan was inspired by a trip to Bordeaux in the late 1970s and applied the Trockenbeerenauslese selection principle to Vespaiola.
What it pairs with
-
Foie gras with brioche toast
The quintessential botrytis-wine pairing: the wine's sweetness and acidity cut through the rich liver. -
Creme brulee
Caramelised vanilla custard harmonises with the wine's honey, vanilla and caramel notes. -
Mature Stilton
Noble rot dessert wine and blue cheese is a classic high-contrast pairing.
History
After reviving Torcolato in 1974, Fausto Maculan pushed further by producing Italy's first serious botrytised dessert wine from Vespaiola in 1979. Inspired by Chateau d'Yquem and Trockenbeerenauslese, Acininobili uses only botrytis-infected berries selected by hand in exceptional years. It is not produced in every vintage.
- 1979 — Maculan produces the first Acininobili from botrytis-selected Vespaiola grapes.
- 1990 — Acininobili wins international acclaim in comparative Sauternes tastings.
Facts
- Producer
- Maculan
- Grapes
- Vespaiola
- Classification
- Breganze DOC
- Oak
- 12 months in new French oak barriques
- ABV
- 12.5%
- Price
- EUR 80-140 at retail (375ml)
- Drinking window
- 10-30 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1979