'Holy Wine' of Tuscany destroyed by hail Rather than disappoint the expectations of those who know the quality of our wines we have decided not to produce the VinSanto and Carmignano Riserva. Artimino, located 15 miles outside Florence in the hills of Chianti, usually produces around 5,000 bottles of VinSanto a year. It also produces Chianti. Mr Matteoli told The Telegraph that since it takes five years for the wine to mature, the impact of this harvest would not be felt for some time. The estate still had other vintages of VinSanto available, he said. Apart from sales across Italy it also exports its products to Russia and Asia, he said. VinSanto, or Holy Wine, has been produced since at least the Middle Ages - and while there is debate about the origins of the name, some say it is derived from its use in Mass. For centuries it has been a traditional part of Tuscan life. It is often offered as a welcoming drink to house guests and consumed with almond-scented amaretti biscuits or dry almond cantucci biscuits that are dipped in the wine. Heavy rains and low summer temperatures played havoc with much of the grape production this year, and had a devastating impact on winemakers in Tuscany and elsewhere. Gianpiero Tartagni, president of the Confederation of Italian Farmers in northern Tuscany, said recently: "2014 has been a horrible year. We lost 30 per cent of the harvest for wine.