Italian Superlatives

Nonindigenous grapes continue to enhance the country’s top-tier wines

Mark Spivak

It all started when Piero Antinori blended some Cabernet into the 1971 vintage of his flagship Chianti Classico to create Tignanello, intentionally violating the archaic Italian wine law. This radical step gave birth to the Super Tuscan revolution and elevated the profile of Italian wine around the world. Today it’s common for international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah to appear in top Italian wines, and the Super Tuscans are more correctly referred to by the special category they created: IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Here, we highlight some of the best. THE BIG THREE: When the supply of Bordeaux coming into Italy dried up during World War II, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta decided to plant his own Cabernet. The wine from those grapes, Sassicaia ($265), was kept for…

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Naples Illustrated (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2022

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