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Regional Analysis |
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No other Italian wine producing region has evolved as dynamically as Tuscany over the past 15 years. Thanks to its three main driving production zones, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico and Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany today enjoys worldwide fame. But what about Tuscany’s other areas of production? Some have grown in stature, such as Bolgheri on the Maremma coast, known for its elegant Super Tuscan blends. Similarly the fruitier Morellino di Scansano, once a minor wine produced in the hills behind the coastlands of southern Tuscany, has seen unprecedented levels of interest in recent years as leading producers have recognized its potential and scrambled to buy land.
Generic Chianti has always represented the bulk of Tuscany’s volume, the main criticism being that the style has little uniformity. Over the past few years the trend in the Chianti subzones has been to create individual identity by producing a wine with a difference, an IGT ‘Super Tuscan’, often made from international varieties, rather than Sangiovese, and showing a bolder structure, which could sell for a higher price. This was fine as long as the Super Tuscan trend held; however, these wines have no real identity and are often priced out of an increasingly competitive international market.
IGT versus DOC
The controversial wines that became known as Super Tuscans are no longer as popular as they were. When they first appeared, they were of unprecedented quality, proudly being Vino da Tavola and then Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT), the appellation ranking below the more tightly regulated DOC. Made in a great variety of styles, they encompassed an unlimited range of grape varieties, but blatant flouting of DOC restrictions caused acute embarrassment internally that the system could breed such rebellion. Today, Tuscans are among the most DOC conscious of Italians and their denominations are regularly amended to take improved production criteria into account. “IGT Toscana was certainly of great importance to Tuscany’s image,” says Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Antinori, who were a major player in the Super Tuscan revolution. “Wines such as Tignanello, Solaia and Sassicaia have made history and are still a driving force not only of Tuscan, but premium Italian wines.”
IGT, which gave more freedom to experiment, was important in that it proved that Italy could also make premium, modern wines. Today, Super Tuscans may still gain high scores in wine guides, yet they prove difficult to sell, being overpriced and difficult to market, so that Tuscany is reverting back to its historical and more traditional denominations, upheld by improved quality in production. According to Enrico Viglierchio, CEO of Banfi, IGT Tuscany along with the DOC and DOCG denominations are important to Tuscany’s identity; however, Tuscan wines internationally are recognised primarily by their brand names.
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Regional Analysis |
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Quality rising
A major improvement over the last 20 years has been seen in vineyard management, cellar hygiene and technology. Vineyard management has also had to consider better mechanisation, as skilled labour proves ever more difficult to find, which in turn has introduced new trellising methods. Experimental vineyards and clonal research has been carried out to develop new clones of Sangiovese that respond to an earlier ripening, lower yields and a bolder colour. Over the past 15 years, Tuscany has undergone systematic replanting of vineyards to a higher density. Some producers such as Frescobaldi would like to see more replanting. “We need to move at a faster pace,” says Lamberto Fresco baldi. “To keep up with our competitors and to be able to deliver the style our consumers want.”
Raising quality standards involves green harvesting, bunch thinning, hand harvesting and a rigorous selection during harvesting, both in the vineyard and as the grapes are brought to the cellar. All cellars today are temperature controlled and ageing is carried out in a variety of barrels, from the traditional Slovenian large oak barrel to smaller barriques. Over the past 20 years, most producers have planted a number of international varieties, such as Merlot and Cabernet, which often improve the wine’s structure, especially since Sangiovese can be difficult to grow and ripen. But while adding an allowed percentage (15-20%) of international varieties to the Sangiovese base is still popular, producers are beginning to return to more indigenous varieties, realising that a higher percentage of international varieties overpower the character of the Sangiovese grape. Likewise the use of small casks, which can produce over-oaked wines, is not as prominent as it was some years ago.
The future
“Tuscany’s viticulture today is not led by brands or international styles, but by investing in its historic appellations such as Brunello and Morellino,” says Stefano Cinelli Colombini, CEO of Fattoria dei Barbi. “These appellations represent Tuscany’s ‘brands’ and are created by not one producer, but by many small producers under the umbrella of the Consorzio.”
Looking to the future, many believe that Tuscany’s small estates will play a fundamental role in delivering ‘niche, artisanal wines’ which show terroir character. “They need personality, but must also be quick and flexible to pick up market trends as well as being cost effective,” warns Francesco Ricasoli, CEO of Castello di Brolio.
Emilio Pedron, president of the Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV), agrees with the call to a return to Tuscany’s historic roots. “Chianti remains one of the pillars of Tuscan and Italian production,” he says. “ Due to climate change and a need to improve quality, it has been necessary for some of the Tuscan denominations to re-focus on the appellation regulations without losing sight of its roots and identity.”
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