WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s not a bird! It’s not a plane! It’s not a Chianti or a Brunello! It’s Super-Tuscan! That old clichéd introduction can only mean one thing. It’s time for the Super-Powered, Able-To-Write-Faster-Than-A-Speeding-Bullet Carpe Vinum Newsletter Announcing the Single-Building-Bounding Friday Tasting! This week in our dear Metropolis we’re tasting not any mere mortal wines from Tuscany, we’re tasting the SUPER wines from Tuscany. The Super-Tuscans! And, no, I’m not just making up the term for the sake of having an angle to write about the stuff. Sure, the wines may be “super” as in “super-tasty” or “super-strong”, but technically these wines are considered “Super Tuscan” by definition. Let’s learn more!

Tuscany! It’s located in West-Central Italy. It’s home to the ever-so-popular wines of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. All these wines, as well as most of the reds in the region, are dominated by the Sangiovese grape. The way the wine labeling laws in Italy work don’t allow much diversion from the Sangiovese-based wines. For example, Chianti must be mostly Sangiovese, but can be blended Caniaolo, Trebbiano or Malvasia, the last two which are white grapes, oddly.

Years ago some winemakers in the region were experimenting with blends of the Sangiovese and other grape varieties, usually of French origin, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. These blends, by the Italian wine laws had to be classified as simple “table wine”, even though many were made by top-tier wineries. So a new law was invented to incorporate these wines as a step between the simple table wines and the full-fledged DoC wines of designated regions. The designation is IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica), and it’s used in all Italian regions, not just Tuscany. However Tuscany seems to be the only place where the IGT reds (not the whites) are considered “super”. Why “super”, and who coined the phrase? Don’t know.

So these Super-Tuscans can be blends of Sangiovese with other varieties or single-varieties of just about anything. The most prestigious ones tend to be Sangiovese-Cabernet blends, or sometimes just Cabernet Sauvignon, as in the Sassicaia, one of the first Super-Tuscans. Many of the Italian winemakers are taking advantage of this wine designation, and it’s become one of the most popular categories of the region. One aspect that I like is that these distinct and original blends also are generally given their own names, a little sense of identity in a sea of Chianti.

So here we are. Super Tuscans! They can’t repel bullets. They can’t shoot laser beams out of their eyes, or couldn’t even if they had eyes. They’re not faster than a speeding train. They can’t fly without any outside help, and even then the “flying” is really “falling” after being thrown, destined not to end well. And finally, they can’t fight crime, unless that crime in question is serving bad wine. In that case, and in all other cases they truly are “super”. Now if only I can get that little cape to stay on . . .

So Friday, October 5th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Super-Tuscany!!!
Castello di Farnetella 2004 Lucilla (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Sanguineti 2004 Nessun Dorma (Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah)
Mocali 2004 Fosseti (Sangiovese, Canaiolo)
Petrognano 2004 Pomino (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Aia Vecchia 2004 Lagone (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese)

Super Tuscan!!!
Ruffino 2004 Modus (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Giusti & Zanza 2004 Dulcamara (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.

Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Cabernet Franc and the World!

M