Wine of the Week! 09/16/24

Cantina del Morellino di Scansano
Cala Civetta
Sangiovese di Toscana

Normally $18.99 / Now on Sale for $15.96
90% Sangiovese 10% Alicante (Tuscany IGP)

Morellino di Scansano is a wine region in Maremma, in southern Tuscany. In fact, it’s almost the most southern DOCG in Tuscany. Only 25 km across, it’s a stone’s throw away from the Tyrrhenian coast and sits between two rivers — the Ombrone to the north and the Albegna to the south, with the town of Scarsano in between the two.

People have been making wine there since the Etruscans. The region features volcanic soil and a climate moderated by the Albegna and the Tyrrhaneian Sea. Achieving DOCG status in 1978, it’s named after it’s signature red grape, Morellino (“little dark one”).

Morellino is more commonly known as Sangiovese. However, the Morellino di Scansano differs from north Tuscan Sangiovese in that, here, in Maremma, the grape ripens more fully. A riper grape leads to rounder and more savory Sangiovese … which brings us to this week’s red Wine of the Week.

Last week, we featured the Trebbiano from the wine collective, Cantina del Morellino. This week, we feature one of their reds. For this Morellino, they take organic, dry farmed Sangiovese and throw in a little Alicante. This lush, juicy red is a basket full of dark berry fruits with low tannins. It’s just begging to be had with salami and parmesan. We fell in love with this red because it’s easy to drink, easy to love, and, especially with a little chill, it’s easy to chill you out.