{"id":48676,"date":"2022-03-09T08:07:51","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T13:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=48676"},"modified":"2022-03-09T08:07:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T13:07:51","slug":"the-grapevine-the-wine-that-saved-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/the-grapevine-the-wine-that-saved-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grapevine: The Wine That Saved Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Panoramic view of a vineyard in the Tuscan countryside at sunset<\/p><\/div>\n

By Gina Trippi<\/p>\n

Everybody is talking about a \u201cSuper Tuscan.\u201d But who, or what, is it?<\/p>\n

Super Tuscans have as many definitions as there are blends, so let\u2019s start with the basics. A Super Tuscan is a blend of the Tuscan grape sangiovese with international varietals commonly including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, petit verdot and cabernet franc.<\/p>\n

With all of these grapes, you can imagine how many different blends and styles are made. Generally speaking, most Super Tuscans present notes of red and black fruits with classic Bordeaux flavors of red cherry and plum, and oaked notes of cedar, vanilla and tobacco.<\/p>\n

Breaking it down, cabernet sauvignon provides a solid foundation and structure to the wine, with merlot giving dark fruit, sangiovese adding its signature sour cherry and other grapes, including cabernet franc, being used to bring forth an elegance and spiciness.<\/p>\n

The history\u2014even the name Super Tuscan<\/em>\u2014is subject to many interpretations involving everything from politics to chemistry. I asked John Kerr of Metro Wines for an easy-to-understand, not-too-technical summary of how the Super Tuscan was born.<\/p>\n

The story begins, according to Kerr, before WWII, when Italy was a land of haves (the vineyard owners) and have-nots (the vineyard workers). The wine was good, and Italy had a solid reputation for wine production. After the war, workers demanded, and rightly so, fair compensation. But this additional cost resulted in wineries producing wine of drastically lower quality, ruining Italy\u2019s good reputation around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in the medieval village of Bolgheri just outside of Tuscany where the wine world changed,\u201d says Kerr. In this unique microclimate and at a time when planting anything but Italian grapes was nearly heresy, an Italian winemaker planted Bordeaux varietals, making wine only for his friends and family. The wine was called sassicaia, a reference to the stony soil similar to the gravel found in Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

Established Italian winemakers, such as Piero Antinori, were determined to restore Italy\u2019s centuries-old reputation for quality wines. In 1971, Antinori blended the Bordeaux varietals with sangiovese and the Super Tuscan was born.<\/p>\n

The first Super Tuscan wine to market was called tignanello. While this blend of 80 percent sangiovese, 15 percent cabernet sauvignon and 5 percent cabernet franc continues today, many Super Tuscans do not include sangiovese, but, instead, all French grapes.<\/p>\n

We have both sassicaia and tignanello at Metro Wines, but their places in the aristocracy of the wine world command a high price. There are many lower-priced options that fully represent the Super Tuscan style.<\/p>\n

Consider Fattoria Rod\u00e1no Poggialupi Toscana 2020. A blend of 70 percent sangiovese and 30 percent merlot, the wine presents a balance of fruit, earth and spice in a smooth, medium body. Certified organic, the vines are 35 to 45 years of age. Fattoria Rod\u00e1no follows traditional winemaking practices, including hand-harvesting, fermenting using only natural or wild yeasts and aging the wine in large Slavonian casks.<\/p>\n

Taste what all the talk is about! Try a Super Tuscan.<\/p>\n

Gina Trippi is the co-owner of Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Committed to the community, Metro Wines offers big-shop selection with small-shop service. Gina can be reached at gina@metrowinesasheville.com<\/a> or 828.575.9525.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Super Tuscans have as many definitions as there are blends, so let\u2019s start with the basics. A Super Tuscan is a blend of the Tuscan grape sangiovese with international varietals commonly including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, petit verdot and cabernet franc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":48678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breweries","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Grapevine: The Wine That Saved Italy - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Super Tuscans have as many definitions as there are blends, so let\u2019s start with the basics. 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