How grows Vermentino, the white wine, prince of the Tuscan Maremma. Which elects its champions

Belguardo “V” 2021 by Belguardo, Perlaia 2021 by Bruni, Bianco Riserva 2021 by Castelprile, Cirene 2021 by Podere Cirene, Brigante 2022 by Santa Lucia, La Terrazza 2021 by Tenuta Agostinetto, Solo 2021 by Tenuta Dodici, the Balbinvs 2021 by Terenzi, the Marmato 2022 by Terre dell’Etruria and Cobalto 2020 by Val delle Rose: here is the “Top 10” by “Vermentino Grand Prix 2023”, organized by the Consorzio Vini della Maremma Toscana, led by Francesco Mazzei and Luca Pollini, who yesterday brought together a jury of experts and starred restaurateurs from the Tuscan Maremma in the Gabbiano 3.0 restaurant in Marina di Grosseto (one Michelin star). The jury was chaired by Luciano Ferraro, vice director of the “Corriere della Sera”, and was composed of Roberto Rossi (Il Silene), Marianna Ciancarelli (Il Pellicano), Alessandro Rossi (Gabbiano 3.0), Alessandro Sabatini (Enoteca Scansanese), Luca Papalini (Enoteca Castiglionese), Antonio Spurio (Consortium Technical Commission), Emiliano Leuti (Ais), Claudia Bizzarri (Onav), Mirella Tirabassi (Ses) and Maria Mecarozzi (Fisar).
An event signed by the Vini della Maremma Toscana Consortium to promote, beginning with its origins, what is proving to be a growing phenomenon in the Tuscan wine panorama: Vermentino. “The Vermentino Grand Prix has become an important promotional event for producers and for the Maremma brand; also on this occasion we had confirmation that the Vermentino of the Denomination has a distinct personality, not only in the fresh and easy-drinking version, but also in more important versions with complex winemaking processes and longer aging periods”, explains Francesco Mazzei, president of the Consortium Vini della Maremma Toscana, adding that “the goal is to keep raising the bar, and it is clear that we are on the right track”.
Every year, the Vermentino Grand Prix jury includes industry professionals, starred restaurateurs from the Tuscan Maremma, and the most important wine bars from the Tuscan coast. The Consortium’s goal is to develop a system to promote the Maremma Toscana brand as a whole. As told by the director of the Consortium, Luca Pollini, “the Province of Grosseto, with 938 hectares, represents 50% of the Tuscan vineyard of Vermentino, and it is the territory where the vine is growing with the highest percentages, today the Tuscan Maremma is the most important cultivation area of the Peninsula for Vermentino”. To understand the contours of the Vermentino Doc phenomenon of the Tuscan Maremma it is sufficient to observe the numbers: the same has gone “from 33,700 quintals of grapes claimed in the 2020 harvest to 37,150 quintals of that 2021 to over 43,300 quintals of the 2022 harvest. So much so that it now accounts for 34% of the total quantity of grapes claimed for the Maremma Toscana Doc in the most recent harvest”, underlines Mazzei, adding that “the success derives precisely from the particularly versatile typology and from the teamwork of the winegrowers and the Consortium; the fist ones have unanimously embarked on a path of qualitative growth, the other is constantly working on enhancement and promotion initiatives”. To enhance the aromas of the wines the official glass of the “Vermentino Grand Prix 2023”, “T-made 55” by Italesse, an Italian company, the market leader for its sensory glasses, designed on the organoleptic sensations of wines. This elegantly designed glass, with its flat bottom and tapered cup, performed admirably in tests for enhancing the characteristics of Vermentino della Maremma, so much so that it now serves as a technical reference tool for the future.