WINE NEWS /
Sangiovese Symposium
Florence was enlivened several weeks ago by discussions of Toscana’s
most famous grape at the Second World Symposium on Sangiovese di
Toscana. The central issue at the symposium was the place of Sangiovese
on the international wine scene and the development of a marketing
strategy that would utilize its current position and direction.
Sangiovese is inextricably Italian and shows best
when handled by top producers like Podere
Forte, Montevertine, Castell'in
Villa, Tenuta
Fontodi,
and Fattoria di
Felsina.
After submitting to the Sangiovese fad in California, many American
growers
have discovered
that this
grape is not well suited to their terroir and is quite sensitive
to seasonal changes in atmosphere, which places it outside the realm
of such true ‘international varieties’ as Merlot and
Cabernet Sauvignon.
It may come as a surprise to many enophiles that Sangiovese was
historically used only in blends, and even then was not the dominant
component. A continued stress on monovarietal Sangiovese wines would
encourage the ‘international’ view of the grape since
marketing would be simpler and the name itself would be more easily
publicized. It is important to note that the famous wines of old
are generally blends, and the popularity of pure varietal wines really
developed in the 1940’s as a marketing plan in the USA, where
contemporary consumers were sadly unversed in wine and could be eased
in by this simple approach. Precedent has shown that consumers are
ultimately influenced by marketing and will accept quality wines
be they blend or monovarietal – so though a new strategy for
promotion must still be reached, the crux of Sangiovese’s future
lies in the continuation and development of high-quality production
in Toscana.
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