Hooray! It’s September and all I can think about is wine, wine, wine. Seriously, I was planning this post and my inner booze hound just kept screaming “WINE!” at me. Not a blog post idea. Just the word ‘wine’.
Like most parts of Tuscany, the Maremma has a strong wine culture and cultivates some of the region’s best up and coming wines and one serious contender to the Chianti’s reign. It’s the Morellino di Scansano and it’s our only DOCG or protected and controlled origin wine and it’s a red. The Maremma is famous for her reds, but she holds her own when it comes to whites too.
Whether you’re living in the area or travelling through our neck of the woods this autumn, there is no better time to stop at a local vineyard. We have hundreds of them. Some of big and bad world players, but most are small family-owed operations that have been producing wine from their humble rows of vines for generations.
Naturally you can visit most of these vineyards any time of the year. Most arrange tasting sessions. In September, you can witness and sometimes participate in the vendemmia or the annual grape harvest. Later in the season (around October and November), you can taste the vino novello or new wine. It’s light, fruity and a perfect aperitif because it hasn’t developed a strong alcohol content yet. Vino novello is almost impossible to buy, so you have to either be at a vineyard at the right time or check out one of the local festivals. But more on that later in the year.
For now, I’m sharing my favourite vineyards to view the vendemmia.
Vini Montauto, Manciano
Pretty much outside my front door, this vineyard stands out because it concentrates on white wines when everyone around them does reds… and thinks they’re nuts. The standout bottle is the Enos – a fruity and dry white wine that goes well with almost everything. They’re just started making a sparkling wine too.
The vineyard is set beautifully on the Tuscan hills and has a great new tasting room and very chic cellar. Tastings are available on request and everyone speaks English.
www.montauto.org
Le Mortelle, Castiglione della Pescaia
I don’t care if they’re probably the biggest wine making family in Italy, I love their vineyard in Castiglione della Pescaia. I want to live there. It is gorgeous and has this breathtaking spiral staircase running through the cellar. Plus the Antinori family says they can trace their lineage back to the siege of Troy, which is mind blowing. I can’t even figure out who my great grandparents were!
The great thing about Le Mortelle is that it’s a beautiful vineyard that’s really easy to visit and turn into a fantastic day trip. They have an organic orchard and sell bio jams and honey. You can go on a tour and then dine at the cafe or sit on the porch and just take in the view.
www.antinori.it/en/passione-in-evoluzione/le-mortelle
Fattoria La Maliosa, Saturnia
I have written about this vineyard before. They always get a mention because they’re one of the few true biodynamic and organic vineyards in the Maremma. Their wines are so unusual. They taste homemade and are grown without chemicals, picked by hand and turned into wine without sulphates or any other helping hands.
Fattoria La Maliosa is a small operation, so they don’t do regular tastings sessions. You need to organise in advance. The vineyard sits behind the Saturnia Hot Springs and has lovely views of the surrounding towns.
www.fattorialamaliosa.it/en/
Terenzi, Scansano
Another big player, Terenzi is a local success story. The family-owned vineyard has being making waves internationally because they produce Morellino di Scansano in its heartland. This red wine is a little like a punch in the stomach. It’s very strong. It has to be to stand up to the wild boar dishes and rich vegetable soups that define Maremman cooking.
Terenzi has tasting sessions everyday (except Wednesdays in winter) from 12pm to 3pm, but they also have a fantastic selection of other tasting packages with varying types of accompaniments. They can even do a dinner with wine pairings.
www.terenzi.eu/eng