Appellation · Italy
Maremma
The Tuscan coastal plain, malarial marshland until the 1930s and now the region’s most dynamic new vineyard area.
Reds that are ripe, soft and full-bodied with dark fruit and moderate acidity. Vermentino whites are dry, citrussy and lightly saline.
About Maremma
The Maremma runs down the Tuscan coast south of Bolgheri. It was marshland and malarial until a drainage programme in the 1930s, which is why it has almost no ancient vineyard tradition.
That absence of tradition has been an advantage. Growers here have planted international varieties alongside Sangiovese with none of the constraints that apply inland, and Vermentino has become the coast’s signature white.
It is warmer than inland Tuscany and the wines are correspondingly riper, softer and lower in acidity — closer to Bolgheri in style than to Chianti.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Maremma Toscana DOC
- Type
- Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
- Set by
- MASAF
- Recognised
- 2011
- Regulates
- Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.
The delimited area, permitted varieties and their proportions, maximum yields, minimum alcohol and — for riserva and similar terms — minimum ageing.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Super Tuscan
Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).
Try with roast chicken, fillet steak or grilled chicken.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Bolgheri — The coastal Tuscan appellation built on Bordeaux varieties, and the birthplace of the Super Tuscan idea.
- Brunello di Montalcino — Sangiovese alone, from one warm Tuscan hilltop, held for five years before release — Italy’s most powerful expression of the variety.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Italian DOP and IGP wine register — Ministero dell’agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF)