WINE NEWS / The
original Super Tuscans?
Roughly 700 hectares of Italian vineyards are planted
with "non-indigenous" varietals used to make international-style
wines – 500 of them with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
But is this only a recent phenomenon in Italy? Today, wines like Redigaffi,
Cammartina,
Masseto, and
Gratttamacco
– just to name a few – are among the most collected wines
in the world. But did this trend begin only in 1968 with the first
vintage of Sassicaia?
At the second annual conference on Italian cult wines
made from international varietals, "Cento Bordolesi d'Italia:
Stile, Eleganza, Territorio," participants revealed that Cabernet
Sauvignon and other grapes traditionally associated with Bordeaux
were widely cultivated in Italy beginning in the early 1700s.
Following the infamous frost of 1709, which decimated
the majority of Italian vines, the owners of the largest estates opted
to replant with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In the Veneto
and Toscana, said Professor Attilio Scienza in his presentation, many
producers chose to make Claret-style wines. This century of "experimentation"
(as it is known among Italian wine scholars) also saw the introduction
of Bordeaux-style bottles and corks. By the 1820s, Piedmontese winemakers
were making excellent Cabernets, said the aptly named Professor Scienza.
The advent of the railroad made these wines exportable to destinations
in continental Europe and even Great Britain.
Journalist Bruno Donati noted that when it comes
to today's Super Tuscans and other wines made with international varietals,
the paradox lies in the fact that terroir expression is generally
associated with indigenous varietals. The remarkable thing about Italy
is that while her varietals do not fare well outside of her borders,
many international varietals have achieved greatness there.
One of the stars of this year's packed conference
was Sicilian winemaker Planeta,
who has enjoyed extraordinary success with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
Franc, Merlot, and now even Syrah.
Related Wines and Links: Antinori,
Ca' Marcanda, Castell'in
Villa, Castello
dei Rampolla, Cesani,
Cima, Col
d'Orcia, Felsina, Fontodi,
Fossi, Grattamacco,
Guado al Tasso, Le
Macchiole, Montevertine,
Ornellaia, Podere
Forte, Querciabella,
Sassicaia, Tua
Rita, Vignavecchia
(Beccari).
<<
e-mail this page to a friend!
<<
return to I-News
