San Marzano Tomatoes, 'Vintage'

San Marzano tomatoes in a nostalgic vintage tin

The Viani 'Vintage' San Marzano tomatoes are the same whole peeled tomatoes from Campania as the classic tin – just in nostalgic printed metal packaging that also makes for a lovely gift.

The San Marzano tomatoes 'Vintage' from the Antonio Viani range come in a retro-design tin – the same recipe inside as Viani's classic San Marzano tin, but with a label on the outside that looks more like an old country kitchen cupboard than a supermarket shelf. If you leave the tin out in the kitchen or give it as a gift, you get two things at once: good tomatoes and a pretty decorative piece for the kitchen shelf that can even live on as a small vase or utensil holder after opening.

A tin with a story, not a DOP seal

Many canned tomatoes disappear into the pantry the moment they land in the shopping cart. The vintage tin is made to be left out on the countertop – as a splash of color next to pasta and olive oil, or wrapped in a gift basket with pasta and a good glass of wine. The content remains just as serious as in the simpler tin: tomatoes of the San Marzano Due variety, a more robust breed that emerged after the original San Marzano tomato was almost wiped out by fungal diseases.

Since 1996, only the original tomato from the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino region has carried the EU-protected DOP seal – this tin does not have a DOP, but it does have the same elongated growth, the same firm, low-seed flesh, and the same volcanic soil of Campania where the original variety once grew.

Firm, fruity, with a subtle sweetness

Simmered in their own juice, the flesh can be easily crushed with a fork without immediately falling apart. The taste is fruity and slightly sweet, with a fine acidity in the finish that tastes like summer rather than a tin. This firmness is exactly what is needed for a Sunday sugo that simmers slowly over low heat: the tomatoes hold their shape until you crush them with a wooden spoon yourself, gradually releasing their aroma into the sauce.

From Sunday sugo to a thoughtful gift

Roughly crush the tomatoes and let them simmer quietly with onion, garlic, and a splash of olive oil for an hour until the sugo becomes dark and creamy – great with organic spaghetti or a simple gnocchi dish. If you like, stir in a spoonful of butter and some freshly grated Parmesan at the end; this removes the last sharp edge of acidity from the sugo and makes it noticeably rounder on the palate.

Or simply pass the tin on as a gift, together with a packet of good pasta, to someone who previously thought canned tomatoes were purely an emergency product – the vintage look turns a pantry item into a small gift in no time at all.

Preserved at Solania in Sarno

The tomatoes are preserved at Solania in Sarno: around 70 contract farmers from the region deliver the harvest as soon as it has reached its full color, usually harvested and processed at the facility on the same day so that as little time as possible passes between the field and the tin. They are brought to Germany by Antonio Viani, an importer who visits his producers individually.

You can find the classic version of this tomato as San Marzano tomatoes – in their own juice, further canned goods in our canned tomatoes overview, and more from our Italian range in the Antonio Viani Imports collection. Two tins, one tomato, two occasions: one for everyday pantry use, the other for the moment when a canned tomato is allowed to look the part.

Contents 400 g – Drained weight 260 g