John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles.
From Tuscany with love
Every now and then I have a wine reawakening. I’m not talking about reacquainting myself with the wines of my youth like MD 20/20 or the half-gallon jug of California “Burgundy” (where the picture of the old codger on the label looked as if it had been taken post-mortem).
No, I’m referring to a recent dinner where I purchased an inexpensive bottle of red Italian wine from Tuscany and made from sangiovese grapes. The wine was very fruit forward without being sweet. It was also round and ripe and a very good pairing with food, particularly my antipasti followed by pasta in a marinara sauce. It also had aromatic components with aromas of cherries and spices like teaberry. This wine brought back very fond memories of trips I had taken to Tuscany.
The most famous red wines of Tuscany are: Brunello Di Montalcino made entirely from sangiovese grapes and grown around the small town of Montalcino: Chianti Classico (also made from predominately sangiovese); and the Super Tuscans of the region which are blends of varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, sangiovese and even syrah.
Italy has a government office that sets forth regulations determining which grapes can be grown and produced into wine for each viticultural area in the country. Denominazione Di Origine Controllata (“Controlled designation of origin”) or DOC is a quality assurance label for Italian wine. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) on the label of an Italian wine is an even stronger and higher quality assurance rating.
The government does not prohibit wineries from planting different grapes than those approved by them for a specific region, but in the past, the resulting wine had to be labeled as “vino de tavola” or table wine. For example, cabernet sauvignon was not an approved grape for Tuscany and therefore had to be labeled simply as table wine. That all changed in 1992 when the government, with extreme pressure from influential wine makers, set forth a new classification known as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). This classification permitted wineries to produce wines from grapes not previously approved by them.
The wines known as “Super Tuscans” – initially in the coastal Maremma region of Tuscany -led the way by producing Bordeaux-type blends such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Ornellaia is perhaps the best known example of a Super Tuscan” and is also considered one of the greatest wines in Italy.
Here are three wines I’ve tasted recently from Tuscany that you might wish to try.
2016 Monte Antico Rosso Toscano ($12) – This is the wine I mentioned above that rekindled my desire to revisit Tuscan wines. Medium-bodied with flavors of ripe dark fruit along with a slight touch of vanilla from oak aging, this is an excellent every day drinking red. Try it with pasta in marinara or a Bolognese sauce.
2015 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($28) This lovely wine is comprised of 90% Sangiovese and 10% other varieties such as malvasia and colorino. It has flavors of tart red cherries, teaberry and nuances of oak. It is medium bodied, with some noticeable tannin and excellent balancing acidity. The wine was aged in oak for 24 months and for three years in bottle before being released. Grilled Italian sausages or barbecued baby back ribs would be great accompaniments to this wine.
2015 La Massa Toscana ($30) A blend of 60% sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon and alicante bouschet, this IGT from the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany is a rich, full-bodied and complex red wine. Aged in French oak, it is silky smooth, has flavors of black cherries and is perfectly balanced. Try roasted pork tenderloin with a port wine sauce for a heavenly pairing with La Massa.
No, I’m referring to a recent dinner where I purchased an inexpensive bottle of red Italian wine from Tuscany and made from sangiovese grapes. The wine was very fruit forward without being sweet. It was also round and ripe and a very good pairing with food, particularly my antipasti followed by pasta in a marinara sauce. It also had aromatic components with aromas of cherries and spices like teaberry. This wine brought back very fond memories of trips I had taken to Tuscany.
The most famous red wines of Tuscany are: Brunello Di Montalcino made entirely from sangiovese grapes and grown around the small town of Montalcino: Chianti Classico (also made from predominately sangiovese); and the Super Tuscans of the region which are blends of varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, sangiovese and even syrah.
Italy has a government office that sets forth regulations determining which grapes can be grown and produced into wine for each viticultural area in the country. Denominazione Di Origine Controllata (“Controlled designation of origin”) or DOC is a quality assurance label for Italian wine. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) on the label of an Italian wine is an even stronger and higher quality assurance rating.
The government does not prohibit wineries from planting different grapes than those approved by them for a specific region, but in the past, the resulting wine had to be labeled as “vino de tavola” or table wine. For example, cabernet sauvignon was not an approved grape for Tuscany and therefore had to be labeled simply as table wine. That all changed in 1992 when the government, with extreme pressure from influential wine makers, set forth a new classification known as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). This classification permitted wineries to produce wines from grapes not previously approved by them.
The wines known as “Super Tuscans” – initially in the coastal Maremma region of Tuscany -led the way by producing Bordeaux-type blends such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Ornellaia is perhaps the best known example of a Super Tuscan” and is also considered one of the greatest wines in Italy.
Here are three wines I’ve tasted recently from Tuscany that you might wish to try.
2016 Monte Antico Rosso Toscano ($12) – This is the wine I mentioned above that rekindled my desire to revisit Tuscan wines. Medium-bodied with flavors of ripe dark fruit along with a slight touch of vanilla from oak aging, this is an excellent every day drinking red. Try it with pasta in marinara or a Bolognese sauce.
2015 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($28) This lovely wine is comprised of 90% Sangiovese and 10% other varieties such as malvasia and colorino. It has flavors of tart red cherries, teaberry and nuances of oak. It is medium bodied, with some noticeable tannin and excellent balancing acidity. The wine was aged in oak for 24 months and for three years in bottle before being released. Grilled Italian sausages or barbecued baby back ribs would be great accompaniments to this wine.
2015 La Massa Toscana ($30) A blend of 60% sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon and alicante bouschet, this IGT from the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany is a rich, full-bodied and complex red wine. Aged in French oak, it is silky smooth, has flavors of black cherries and is perfectly balanced. Try roasted pork tenderloin with a port wine sauce for a heavenly pairing with La Massa.
