West-Central Italy
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282 ITALY WEST-CENTRAL ITALY The heart of Italy is also the center of the country’s forward-thinking approaches: one was to apply DOCG to the most important quality-wine exports, which are Chianti Classico area and other isolated areas, such as parts of Rufina and the Colli Fiorentini, where most of the finest wines dominated by famous red Sangiovese wines from have traditionally been made, and to leave the rest as DOC the tiny Tuscan hills and valleys between Florence Chianti; the other was to grant DOCG status to the best 10 percent, regardless of origin. Either would have made Chianti a and the Umbria-Latium border. success. But the biggest Chianti producers had more political clout than the best producers, and the new regulations gave DOCG TUSCANY (TOSCANA) status to the whole area and all Chianti wines, regardless of their The home of traditional winemaking, Tuscany has also been the origin or quality. main focus of experimentation. Its powerful red Vino Nobile di It is true that the Trebbiano Toscano, a localized clone, is an Montepulciano was Italy’s first DOCG, and has been followed by intrinsically high-class Trebbiano and, indeed, it can make some Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti, Carmignano, and Vernaccia di charming wines, but it is not a fine-wine grape. Currently, San Gimignano. But not all of its finest wines bear these famous Tuscany has no white-wine sister for its red Sangiovese grape. appellations, a fact recognized by the Tuscan producers Unfortunately, its best dry themselves, who, on the one hand, sought the ideal DOCG white-wine grape so far has Chianti including Carmignano (1), solution for Chianti, while on the other began to invest in been Chardonnay, a variety Rufina (2), Colli Fiorentini (3), Montespertoli (4), Colline Pisani (5), premium wines that were not restricted by the DOC. It was that excels in almost every Vernaccia di San Gimignano (6) the uncompromising quality of their Super-Tuscan wines that half-decent wine area. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (7) encouraged premium vini da tavola throughout the rest of Italy. Vermentino might be Tuscany’s Chianti Classico Unfortunately, they were less successful white-wine grape of the future, Bianco di Pitigliano with the DOCG of Chianti. The although it is really a Sardinian Montefalco a z Tuscans had two sensible, grape and currently mostly n E Pontrémoli Castelnovo Orvieto 2017 né Monti Pavullo nel Frignano 2121 12 Vergato Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone 64 o n 1945 e Colline Lucchesi Sarzana R Massa Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Borgo Rocca San Montecarlo Bianco Bagni di Lucca San Lorenzo 67 Casciano Val di Cornia Pistóia Prato S ieve Bagno di Viareggio Lucca ROME Firenze Romagna Val d’Arbia 11 1 2 Pontassieve PISA 67 3 Urbino Bianco Vergine della Valdichiana Arno Empoli Pontedera 4 San Sansepolcro Colli Perugini LIVORNO Giovanni Cagli Valdarno 462 5 1702 Colli Amerini Poggibonsi Arezzo Città di Volterra 6 Monte San Castello Colli Martani C a Savino e s 16 cin l Siena Gubbio a E Cortona Fabriano Cecina 8 13 TOSCANA 4 Montalbano Monteroni Gualdo Tadino Pomino 9 d’Arbia PERÚGIA nia Nocera Aretini Cor MontepulcianoLago Massa 7 17 Umbra Trasimeno 18 75 Colli Senesi Marittima 209 10 Roccastrada 1 UMBRIA Brunello di Montalcino Piombino 1738 Città della 3 Follónica e Candia dei Colli Apuani 223 n 11 Pieve o Portoferráio r Bianco della Val di Nievole 630 b Arcidosso Nòrcia m O a Bianco Pisano di San Torpe 12 Grosseto Spoleto r Acquasanta Todi e 13 Acquapendente N Terme Aleatico di Gradoli Elba 14 Orvieto Acquasparta Manciano 71 TERNI Morellino di Scansano Lago di 79 2623 8 Montescudaio 15 434 Bolsena Porto San Orbetello Orte Antrodoco Stéfano L’Aquila 9 Bolgheri Tuscania Viterbo Rieti 17 a rt Civita T 24 10 Monteri di Massa Marittima a Castellana u Montalto M r Giglio a di Castro n Moscadello di Montalcino Tarquinia o For detail see next page 11 2487 LAZIO 12 Elba Bracciano Monterotondo Civitavecchia Lago di Avezzano 13 Maremma Toscana Bracciano Tívoli Pescina 16 24 Subiaco 14 Slovana 2241 666 Roma Castel Parrina di Sangro 15 Fiumicino Valmontone 1 Anagni 16 Colli del Trasimeno Albano in Sora Laziale Velletri L Sa Frosinone 17 Colli Altotiberini cco 148 18 Torgiano Sezze Cassino Venafro see also WEST-CENTRAL ITALY, p.263 Anzio See page opposite Latina 1090 The hills of this area provide the best sites for Provincia boundary vineyards, tempering the summer’s heat and Formia Height above sea level (meters) providing a variety of microclimates suitable Terracina 0 10 20 30 40 50 miles for classic French grape varieties as well as 0 20 40 60 80 km traditional Italian ones. WEST-CENTRAL ITALY 283 FACTORS AFFECTING TASTE AND QUALITY LOCATION super-Tuscan wines still exist, and HLocated between the Apennines always will, but top-performing to the north and east and the producers are seeking clones, Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. terroirs, and techniques to CLIMATE maximize the fruit and accessibility F of their own noble grapes. Summers are long and fairly A traditional speciality is the dry and winters are less severe than sweet, white vin santo, which is in northern Italy. Heat and lack of made from passito grapes dried on rain can be a problem throughout straw mats in attics. It is aged for the area during the growing season. up to six years, often in a type of ASPECT solera system. EVineyards are usually sited on GRAPE VARIETIES hillsides for good drainage and GPrimary varieties: Sangiovese exposure to the sun. Deliberate use (syn. Brunello, Morellino,Prugnolo, is made of altitude to offset the Sangioveto, Tignolo, Uva Canina), heat, and black grapes grow at up Malvasia, Trebbiano (syn. Procanico) to 1,800 feet (550 meters) and white Secondary varieties: Abbuoto, grapes at up to 2,275 feet (700 Aglianico, Albana (syn. Greco, meters). The higher the vines, the but not Grechetto), Albarola, longer the ripening season and the Aleatico, Barbera, Bellone, greater the acidity of the grapes. Bombino, Cabernet Franc, TRADITION AND INNOVATION SOIL Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo This tranquil landscape appears to have remained unchanged for many DThese are very complex soils (syn. Drupeggio in Umbria), centuries, but, while Tuscan winemaking is steeped in tradition, the area is with gravel, limestone, and clay Carignan (syn. Uva di Spagna), now also experimenting with different grape varieties and barrique aging. outcrops predominating. In Tuscany Cesanese, Chardonnay, Ciliegiolo, a rocky, schistose soil, known in Colorino, Gamay, Grechetto restricted to Tuscany’s coastal areas. It is time someone managed (syn. Greco, Pulciano), Inzolia some localities as galestro, covers to rekindle an ancient, all-but-extinct Tuscan white grape and most of the best vineyards. (syn. Ansonica), Mammolo, Merlot, Montepulciano, Moscadelletto, rescue it with commercial success, much as the piemontesi did VITICULTURE AND Muscat (syn. Moscadello, Moscato), with Arneis and, as I suspect, they will next try with Timorasso. JVINIFICATION Nero Buono di Cori, Pinot Blanc After much experimentation, (syn. Pinot Bianco), Pinot Gris BIRTH OF THE SUPER-TUSCANS particularly in Tuscany, with classic (syn. Pinot Grigio), Roussanne, French grapes, the trend recently Sagrantino, Sauvignon Blanc, Ten years ago the largest number of exceptional Tuscan wines has been to develop the full Sémillon, Syrah, Verdello, were the then relatively new barrique-aged Super-Tuscans. Their potential of native varieties. Vermentino, Vernaccia, story began in 1948 when the now famous Sassicaia wine was Many stunning Cabernet-influenced, Welschriesling produced for the first time by Incisa della Rochetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines reputedly from Château Lafite-Rothschild. This ROME AND ITS ENVIRONS, see also opposite was an unashamed attempt to produce a top-quality Italian wine The recent proliferation of appellations in the hills surrounding from Bordeaux’s greatest grape variety, decades before the idea Italy’s capital are evidence of a wine regime gone mad— became old hat in the wine world. It became so successful that in this country’s wines need cohesion, not further diversity. the wake of the 1971 vintage, a new red called Tignanello was rta a T M Civita evere Bianco Capena Castellana Tarquinia 1 T u ra Zagarolo n Lago di 4 o Bracciano Montecompatri Colonna Civitavecchia Frascati Bracciano Monterotondo Marino A n i Tívoli e 12 n Colli Albani e 24 Subiaco Colli Lanuvini Roma Aprilia Valmontone Cesanese di Olevano Romano Fiumicino Albano Laziale 1 Anagni Cesanese del Piglio Velletri Sa Cesanese di Affile cco Cerveteri 148 VERNACCIA VINES Provincia boundary Sezze IN FALL Latina Height above sea level (meters) These vines grow exclusively Anzio around the medieval Tuscan 1090 0 10 20 miles town of San Gimignano, whose 0 20 40 km impressive towers can be seen Terracina here in the distance. When it comes from good producers, Formia the white Vernaccia can be a deliciously crisp, fruity dry wine. 284 ITALY breed of Super-Tuscan emerged; first as Sangiovese-dominated AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION blends, such as Tignanello, then as pure Sangiovese wines. Now that the Goria Law has opened the door for Italy’s greatest vini REGION DOC PRODUCTION TOTAL PRODUCTION da tavola, many who had resorted to making wines outside Tuscany 11 million cases 44 million cases the DOC system are using their experience in remolding the (1 million hl) (4 million hl) Latium 6 million cases 67 million cases Sangiovese to reestablish the great old names of the past (Chianti, (540,000 hl) (6 million hl) Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) by making Umbria 2 million cases 18 million cases wines that are complete without the help of foreign varieties. (165,000 hl) (1.7 million hl) UMBRIA Percentage of total Italian production: Latium, 7.8%; Tuscany, 5.2%; Orvieto is Umbria’s best-known and best-forgotten wine.