I recently attended a seminar in Miami conducted by the Consortium of Morellino di Scansano. If your first thought is what the heck is "Morellino di Scansano," you are not alone. And that is precisely why this group of Italian winemakers traveled to south Florida to promote their wines.

For those readers who don't know much about this hidden Italian gem, here is a quick rundown. Morellino di Scansano is a DOCG wine made from at least 85% sangiovese grapes. Up to 15% of other allowed Tuscan grapes are permitted. The wines are commonly labeled as coming from the "Morellino" grape but this is simply a dialect word for sangiovese. The majority of the vineyards are on hillsides that surround the medieval village of Scansano. Wine has been produced here since Etruscan times. It was very popular in the 1800s but fell out of fashion. Today Morellino di Scansano is heavily overshadowed by the more popular Tuscan wines such as Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. These facts combine to make Morellino di Scansano a very affordable alternative.

At the seminar, eleven different winemakers presented their wines in a classroom setting. As the wines were poured, the room filled with the aromas of ripe cherry fruit and plums characteristic of their Tuscan heritage. All of the wines showed well and each was distinctly different, depending on what complementary grapes were used, as well as the use of oak for aging.

While I thoroughly enjoyed several of the wines, my favorite of the afternoon was one of the lighter examples. The Rinaldone dell'Osa Morellino di Scansano 2010 was just fresh and delicious. (Ask your local wine consultant for the Querciarossa. At just $13 it's a great value, too.) Comprised mainly of sangiovese with a small amount of ciliegiolo [a native Tuscan grape], this wine had an intense nose of cherries and licorice with great acidity on the palate. 

This wine sees no oak aging and tastes even better slightly chilled. Try it with grilled, herb-marinated swordfish. Sorry, no ocean whitefish dinner this time.

Paul Quaglini