Monteregio di Massa Marittima

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Monteregio di Massa Marittima is an Italian DOC wine-growing region in southern Tuscany . The wines produced here have had a "controlled designation of origin " ( Denominazione di origine controllata - DOC) since 1994 , which was last updated on March 7, 2014.

history

Viticulture in Maremma was not possible until the 19th century. In ancient times, the area was an extensive salt lake ( Lacus Prelius ) and in the Middle Ages it was an almost uninhabited marshland in which malaria was rampant. It was not until the comprehensive program for draining the swamps, creating a canal system and cultivating the land by Grand Duke Leopold II. Created the prerequisites for agricultural use through olive and wine growing.

Until the late 20th century, when southern Tuscany lived primarily from mining and there was still little tourist interest in the region, only table wines were produced. It was not until October 3, 1994 that the cultivation area was institutionalized by a DOC decree of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.

Four years later - in July 1998 - the Strada del Vino, created by the tourism authorities, was designated in several stages and variants in the DOC area.

Cultivation

Strada del Vino , section B: Bagno di Gavorrano plain; in the background the Colline Metallifere

The DOC area is in the province of Grosseto and includes the municipalities of Follonica and Castiglione della Pescaia on the Tyrrhenian Sea as well as inland (from north to south) Monterotondo Marittimo , Massa Marittima , Scarlino , Gavorrano and in the east Roccastrada .

It covers an area from the southern edge of the Colline Metallifere to Castiglione della Pescaia on the Tyrrhenian Sea , which is connected by a Strada del Vino .

Within the Strada del Vino on the territory of the DOC area, three core sections of particular importance are identified, which place value on a symbiosis of history and culture, wine and gastronomy, local products and handicrafts.

  • Micropercorso A means the northernmost section from Monterotondo Marittima to south of Massa Marittima;
  • Micropercorso B runs along the Via Aurelia near Gavorrano;
  • Micropercorso C focuses on the region around Roccastrada.

generation

According to the denomination (excerpt):

The grape varieties Aleatico and Moscato Bianco are not permitted for all dry wines .

  • Red and rosé wine must consist of 50% Sangiovese , the rest may be admixtures of other red grape varieties from the Tuscany region .
  • White wine must be made from 50% Trebbiano and / or Vermentino . Other white grape varieties permitted in Tuscany may be added up to 50%.
  • Monteregio di Massa Marittima Sangiovese must consist of 85% Sangiovese . Other red grape varieties permitted in Tuscany may be added up to 15%.
  • Monteregio di Massa Marittima Syrah must consist of 85% Syrah . Other red grape varieties permitted in Tuscany may be added up to 15%.
  • Monteregio di Massa Marittima Viognier must consist of 85% Viognier . Other white grape varieties permitted in Tuscany may be added up to 15%.
  • Monteregio di Massa Marittima Vermentino must be 90% Vermentino . Other white grape varieties permitted in Tuscany may be added up to 10%.
  • There are also two types of Vin Santo : pale ones with 50% Trebbiano and / or Vermentino and rosé-colored ( occhio di pernice = called partridge eye), which must contain 50% Sangiovese grapes. The respective red or white grape varieties from the Tuscany region may be used as admixtures .

In practice, the terms novello (vintage wine, bottled before December 31 of the year of harvest) and riserva (matured in cask for 2 years) play a role.

description

Appearance, smell, taste, minimum alcohol content, residual acid and must weight are precisely regulated for the individual types of wine (Article 6), and any violation of the provisions is punishable. In order to avoid overproduction, the maximum number of vines per hectare (3,300), the permitted yield of grapes per vine in kg (3.3) and the permitted filling quantity per hectare in liters (100 for red and rosé wine, 110 for white wine ) exactly prescribed.

A control in practice is hardly possible. For this reason, a 20% tolerance limit is also permitted, on the basis of which a voluntary control of established wineries levels off.

Wine tourism

At the beginning of the 21st century, the access roads to the larger wineries are signposted and the winemakers are generally geared towards visitors. Informal wine tastings are often possible, the acceptance takes place in boxes. On some wineries, olive oil is also sold because the vineyards often alternate with olive crops.

In spring, many wineries offer vino sfuso (= from the barrel), the overproduction of a vintage that is no longer allowed to be bottled with a DOC label. It is sold at a low price, but has to be drunk immediately because of the limited shelf life.

In order to purchase individual bottles of selected wineries, the local wine shops (without tasting) must be consulted.

Many restaurants in the region specifically offer the wines of the surrounding wineries.

In the course of the moderate tourism in southern Tuscany since the late 1990s, the wines of the Maremma have become increasingly known among those interested. However , they have not yet achieved international recognition and awards - comparable to Chianti wines, for example .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Provvedimenti generali relativi ai Disciplinari consolidati dei vini DOP e IGP italiani. (PDF) politicheagricole.it (Italian Ministry of Agriculture), November 27, 2017, accessed on August 10, 2018 (Italian, download page with all the consolidated specifications of Italian DOP and IGP wines).

Web links