The drying and ageing of Vinsanto grapes are done in typical barrels, called “caratelli”, in rooms that must meet a specific set of criteria: no direct sunlight, wide windows for optimal air circulation and screens to prevent bugs, such as bees or wasps, from harming the grapes as they dry. The windows are closed on humid days, and the room is treated regularly with sulphur during the drying process.
The grape bunches are hung individually to assure good exposure to air, thus preventing mould as much as possible, though it will nevertheless occur where the grapes touch the metal supports that suspend them.
The room has no climate control whatsoever; its windows are kept open most of the time; therefore, during the six or seven years of refinement, the wine in the barrels is exposed to all of the variations in temperature from summer (35 - 38 C) to winter (6 -10 C). The result of this constant aeration is that the quantity of wine in the barrels, throughout the entire ageing process, is reduced by approximately 40%.