Supertuscan are brave wines that defied tradition.

Supertuscan is defined as red wines produced in Toscana that do not, on purpose, respect the traditional rules of preparation of the region, but use other types of grapes, especially international vines, in addition to or instead of the traditional Sangiovese and that therefore cannot be classified as DOCG products. The geographical area of Bolgherese(Bolgheri,Livorno), along the wonderful Wine Route of the Etruscan Coast, expresses the best of Supertuscans, but these can be produced throughout Toscana, including the Chianti Classico area. The origin of the Supertuscan dates back to the early 70s of the last century, when, for the first time, some Chianti Classico production cellars eliminated the traditional portion of white grapes from the preparation and replaced it with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The source of inspiration for this discourtesy to tradition came from a bolgheri winery, then still little known to the general public, Sassicaia, which in its red wines also brought in Cabernet Sauvignon. In the following years other wineries followed this path, convinced by the goodness of the wines obtained, detaching themselves from the Tuscan wine tradition, a choice that cost the prohibition of the use of the docg denomination, and the obligation to be called Table Wine. The hard choice was then repaid in 1895 when the Table Wine of Sassicaia was elected the Best Wine in the World. Subsequently, thanks to the introduction of the new IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) label, Supertuscans, given their great popularity, were now recognized as undisputed importance. An international GRAPE VARIETY that is usually used in a small percentage to bring structure and color to wines is Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot is a GRAPE VARIETY native to the Médoc area of France, where it is used for bordeaux production, and is also widespread in California. In Italy, petit verdot manages to express itself in a really excellent way in Toscana, in areas characterized by warm climate, very sunny, constantly ventilated and with very little precipitation during the vegetative phase. In Bolgheri Petit Verdot offers a wine of intense ruby red color, spicy, with a full, dry, tannic flavor and suitable for long aging. Donna Olimpia 1898's Orizzonte IGT is a 100% Petit Verdot that you should definitely try, and in this photo you see the vineyards where it is produced.