Morellino di Scansano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morellino di Scansano DOCG is an Italian red wine made in the hilly environs of the village of Scansano (GR), in the Maremma, which includes a part of the coast of southern Tuscany. Morellino is the local name for the Sangiovese grape varietal. Many people think that the name Morellino comes from Morello (brown) , the colour of Maremmano horses.

The wine, which was granted DOC status in 1978, and upgraded to DOCG status from the 2007 vintage, is made from at least 85% Sangiovese (which is also the basis of the tuscan wines: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). The remaining 0–15% can comprise any non aromatic black grape varieties included in a list made and periodically updated by the Regione Toscana (Tuscany) local authorities.

It is thought that the Morellino is actually a type of grape, a strain of Sangiovese, but it is not. Morellino is simply a fantasy name given to a wine made from grapes grown in a township called Scansano in a region of Tuscany named Maremma, which has an ancient but obscure tradition of winemaking. Historically wines from this region were excellent, but lacking noble lords found in other towns such as Montalcino, the people from Scansano never developed a precise and strict disciplinary for the making of their wine. Ironically one of the very best Morellino di Scansano is actually produced by a winery that is based in the town of Montalcino; Castello Romitorio.

Morellino di Scansano does not need to age in wood and can be released in the January after harvest, meaning that it can be found on the shelf with less than 8 months of life, thus an amazingly fresh and crisp wine.

It is only in the past twenty years that vintners have begun to harness the potential of this coastal terroir, other areas that are very similar in terms of their microclimate such as Bolgheri are already world famous. This means that consumers can get some great value wines of a tremendous quality. Fattoria di Magliano, Castello Romitorio, and Fattoria dei Barbi have been writing the history of this young denomination, which is still lacking a definite identity but in general is a fresh elegant, high-quality wine