Super Tuscan Wine: do you really know?

An Outlaw becoming a star: Wine fairy tale from the 1980s

What is a Supertuscan wine?

"Super Tuscan" is a term used to describe Tuscan red wines which may include non-native grapes, in particular Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The creation of super Tuscan wines is the result of wine producers' frustration with a slow bureaucracy in changing the Italian wine law in the 1970s. Winemakers have begun mixing "unauthorized" wine varieties (such as Merlot) into their blends to produce high quality wines, but not assign to any of the existing denomination categories (DOC, DOCG). The legal system eventually gave way in 1992 with the creation of IGT, a new denomination that gave winemakers the ability to be more creative.

Where do they come from? Super Tuscan: history and origins

Though stemming from the age-old history of Tuscan wine, Super Tuscans represent a very recent variety. They can be defined, in summary fashion, as “non-DOCG Tuscan wines.” On closer inspection, Super Tuscan wines are an interesting variety, whose origins are linked to the famous Chianti Classico and the limits imposed upon it due to the strict regulations on usable grapes. Super Tuscan wines went where no wine had dared go before, adding other types of grape alongside Sangiovese or sometimes replacing them completely.

It was certainly not his intention, but the creation of the Super Tuscan variety could almost be attributed to Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1809 – 1880), who, in 1872, defined the Classic Chianti formula: 70% was to be made from Sangiovese grapes and the remainder from Canaiolo and Malvasia grapes. Jumping almost a century ahead, we reach the late ‘60s. At that time, certain Tuscan wine producers felt somewhat restricted by the stringent regulations governing the Classic Chianti denomination, which they had to respect in order for their wines to receive DOC certification (Denominazione di Origine Controllata,Denomination of Controlled Origin). Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta was the first to decide he would no longer be limited by the regulations and that he would begin to explore new territory. With the help of famous enologist Giacomo Tachis, he produced Sassicaia, the precursor of the Super Tuscan variety. He did so in the knowledge that he had excellent cards in his hand. The vineyards in the Bolgheri region in northern Maremma, where Sassicaia was and is produced, have characteristic rocky ground very similar to the Graves area near Bordeaux. This made the land poorly suited to Sangiovese, but perfect for the growing of international grapes of outstanding quality, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which were sure to produce excellent, long-lasting and structured red wines. The Marquis’ idea was to contrast the Classic Chianti with a new concept of Tuscan wine. He thus opted to do without the Sangiovese grape – the regional variety par excellence – and instead to exploit the characteristics of land which would later show great potential with foreign grapes like the Bordeaux varieties. The Super Tuscan phenomenon was coming into being, but nobody had used that name for it yet.

Evolution and spread: from table wine to IGT

Sassicaia soon opened the doors for other producers. Thus the first genuine Super Tuscan came into being: Marquis Antinori’s Tignanello which combined Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon. Clearly, the wine did not comply with the regulations imposed on the Classic Chianti and thus it could not be defined as a DOC indeed. Indeed, the Super Tuscans were sold under the description “table wine,” though often the price was a notch higher. It was only later, in 1992, that the IGT denomination (Indicazione Geografica Tipica, Typical Geographical Indication) was introduced to Italy. It was less stringent that the DOC or DOCG denominations, and many Super Tuscan producers adhered to it.

A blind-tasting helped put it on the map

In 1978, Decanter magazine arranged a blind tasting, pitting French and Tuscan wines against one another. In a shock victory, the 1972 vintage of Sassicaia—which, after all, had only been produced for the Marchesi’s personal consumption for a number of years—beat its Bordeaux counterparts. A critic dubbed it a Super Tuscan, the nickname stuck, and the resulting publicity led to an awakening of interest in the region.

How to identify an IGT

There is a misnomer about what a super Tuscan wine is because the flavor profile varies quite a bit. You can find everything from fruity and vibrant 100% Sangiovese-based wines to deep, opulent Syrah-based wines. The Toscana IGT classification ties them together, and this notation will always be on the label. In general, IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) designations, spread all over Italy, allow foreign grape varieties to be added and are labeled with the locality of their creation.

Another strange, but effective way, to guess a super Tuscan in a wine list is to look for wines "by name". The named wines have parentheses around the names, such as Luce Della Vite “Lucente” Toscana. Many producers use an original name on the bottle instead of the name of a variety (eg Sangiovese) or a region (eg Brunello di Montalcino).

Why do we call them Super Tuscans?

Super Tuscan is a phrase that was coined in the early 1980’s. The name has been attributed to many experts of the time but none claimed so far this name.

Today, the Super Tuscan category encompasses wines that use, alongside the Sangiovese variety, grapes such as Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah: so-called “Bordeaux blends”, named after their home in the French region. Later, wine producers creating Super Tuscans using 100% Sangiovese only appeared (such as Fontalloro and Flaccianello). All of these wines share very specific characteristics: full-bodied flavor, longevity and strong structure. But let’s not be fooled by the history of the Super Tuscans. The truth is that it’s not enough to use grapes other than those in Barone Ricasoli’s famous formula to create one. What makes the world of wine so unique is that each one has its own soul and history, telling the story of the land of its production.

(ref. Wine Folly and Cecchi)