The Super Tuscans

Brands like Tignanello, Sassicaia and Solaia have gradually become references for the best that Italy can produce and were unknown until the 1960s. The title was bestowed on them by American consumers as a result of critic Robert Parker's high ratings. The first vineyards were planted by the Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta on stony pastures that would not normally be considered suitable. However, the marquis kicked against convention, using 80% Sangiovese grapes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The Italians stipulated at the outset of their DO rating that Chianti DOC Classico wines must be a blend of red and white wine. This was fine for everyday quaffing but could never get a serious hold on the international market. Cleverly, imitators copied the marquis, and formed a splinter group that ignored all the rules. These 'table wines' reached a point where the controlling bodies had to recognise them somehow, so the outcome was a new Denomination, IGT, a generic term conveying only geographical origin.

This was not the ideal solution, as, with the door now open wide, everyone started making 'Super Tuscans' and the market became diluted in every sense of the word, apart from the authentic 'supers', whose prices went stratospheric. Today's Super Tuscans, at the top of their table for international appeal, are out of many people's financial reach.