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Why are they called "Super Tuscans"

This term doesn’t refer to particularly amazing wines or beverages capable of delivering extra (fill in desired superpower). The origin of this term comes from  a break from tradition during the 1970’s when some of Tuscany’s wine makers decided to eliminate the white grape from the typical Chianti blend, which is regulated by the DOC(G) classification. This lead to wines that had more Bordeaux-esque blends but also meant that these wines, the first being the Tignanello, were now simply categorized as table wines. While the wines remained Tuscan in origin, they were considered region less. However, while being rebel products, they also managed to garner tons of media attention and capture numerous awards – much to the surprise of the more traditional wine makers and the oenological community in general. As such, they were named Super Tuscans because they were turned out to be “miraculously” great products.

Posted on Apr 18, 2008 by Registered CommenterNSpielmann | Comments1 Comment

Reader Comments (1)

They dared shake off the shackles of DOC and were amply rewarded for it. In the same way, some, myself included, would argue that IGT wines tend to be better than DOC wines if only because the wine maker has far more leeway in picking and choosing the varietals and their proportions in his/her wines whereas DOC wines have to be made according to very strict rules and recipes to earn the DOC.

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