There’s not much call for Super Tuscan wines these days in California’s finer dining establishments. Which is too bad. There’s something to be said for any wine that has the word ‘super’ in its designation.
In case you’re wondering, the term ‘Super Tuscan’ was coined in the 1980s. It described a group of Italian wines that didn’t follow the traditional rules of Italian winemaking. Despite these vintners' atypical ways, the wines they produced were so good that they couldn’t be overlooked. So, rather than insult the traditionalists, who refused to buy into the Jesuit philosophy that their modernist brethren had fallen for – that “the end justifies the means” – the powers-that-be concocted a brilliant solution. They simply put the non-traditional wines in a separate category. A category called ‘Super Tuscans.’
Everyone was happy.
Because of their superb structure and their easy betrothal to many foods, Super Tuscans gained immediate recognition, along with sky-high price tags. Since most wine-lovers subscribe to the belief that “you get what you pay for,” the outrageous cost of the Super Tuscans only confirmed their desirability.
One of the first – if not the first – of the Super Tuscans came from Carmignano, which is a tiny wine producing region in Italy, consisting of 279 acres and 13 producers. Along with being the first of the Super Tuscans, Carmignano also has the distinction of being the most obscure of the Super Tuscans.
It’s one of Italy’s best kept secrets.
Carmignano’s wines were officially recognized by the grand duke of Tuscany in 1716. Later, in the 1930s, Carmignano fell prey to the practice of consolidation. The region was included under the all-encompassing Chianti designation, where it remained effectively hidden until 1975. At that time the area regained its uniqueness, being once again officially acknowledged. Even so, it wasn’t until 1990 that Carmignano was elevated to the most prestigious level – denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG).
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Article comments
1 - hypnodude
Very interesting article. Being Italian, and appreciating wine, well, not as much as beer though, I've found it very good. Also it's a pleasure to see that someone who is not Italian knows this kind of things about Italy. But you know, we have so many wines that's it's pretty difficult to know all of them. Thumbs up.