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On the Tyrrhenian Coast of Italy, the region of Tuscany has become a byword for Italian culture. A famous artistic legacy and rich history match the natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside, unfolding in waves of golden and green hills that ebb and flow between the Apennine Mountains and the sea.
The section on Toscana above includes the following text: 'Bolgheri Superiore wines are aged for a minimum two years (one year in barrique) and show a minimum alcohol of 12.5%.' Is this right? Though I see that Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC stipulates 18 months in 'botti di rovere dicapacità non superiore a 225 litri' the Bolgheri DOC requirement for Superiore only stipulates 12 months in 'botti di rovere' without restriction as to the size of the barrels. So the year need not be in barrique, correct?
The following text appears in the section on Aglianico del Vulture above: ‘For DOC wines, one year of aging is mandated. The wines may be dry (acsiutto) or off-dry (amabile) and still or spumante, although dry, still interpretations represent the DOC’s most serious wines.’ First a simple typo, ‘acsiutto‘ should read ‘asciutto’. Beyond that, however, I find myself quite confused. Given the text that precedes this quote, I would assume that these statements apply to the Aglianico del Vulture DOC. But, the Compendium page for the Aglianico del Vulture DOC denotes the maximum residual sugar for rosso wines to be 10 g/l and the Disciplinare di Produzione expands on this describing the characteristics of rosso wines to be ‘dal secco all'abboccato, giustamente tannico e sapido, per l'abboccato il contenuto zuccherino non deve superare i 10 g per litro’. The EU’s Commission Regulation (EC) No 607/2009 would indicate that wines characterized as abboccato are distinct from those characterized as amabile, as the range of residual sugar for amabile begins where that of abboccato ends. Furthermore, the Compendium page for the Aglianico del Vulture DOC doesn’t list a mandated year of aging, but a restriction on the release date to September 1 of the year after harvest–which given the text preceding the quote of late harvest dates for Aglianico, would likely translate to less than one year. Which makes me think that perhaps these statements are not supposed to be in regards to the Aglianico del Vulture DOC? I am truly flummoxed!
Agreed that there is no reference to maceration time in the Disciplinare. I believe that the color typicity is more related to the inclusion of Frappato in the blend. That said, the style specifications in Article 6 of the Disciplinare allow for a range of color from cherry-red to violet or garnet.
The section on Cerasuolo di Vittoria includes the following text: 'DOCG regulations limit maceration in order to maintain the vibrant cherry-red (Cerasuolo) color of the wine.' Where are such regulations to be found? I'm having difficulty locating any such restrictions in the Disciplinare di Produzione, and a commercial source indicates that Occhipinti's Grotte Alte Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico sees 30 days of maceration before pressing, so I'm wondering just how restrictive the requirements could be. (Of course, that commercial source also denotes the wine as a 'Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Riserva' while I'm finding no evidence that a Riserva notation exists, nor that the wine is actually labelled as such, so grains of salt and all that . . .)
Hi Keith, Vin Santo Liquoroso tends to be lower quality, so I think you're probably correct. Not sure if there are exceptions to this...