Morellino di Scansano, “Tuscany” will be on the label. Green light to modify the specification

Nobile di Montepulciano was the first denomination to put “Toscana” on its labels, and made it obligatory as well, to distinguish itself from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but also to add one of the gems of the Renaissance to the group of the Tuscan Region brand, one of the most successful in the world. Now, Morellino di Scansano has followed the same path, whose producers, from now on, will not have to, but will be able to add the words “Toscana” on the labels of the Maremma appellation. “Modifying the specification was the result of intense work carried out by our Consortium together with the Tuscany Region, the Ministry of Agricultural Policies and AVITO, the Tuscan PDO and PGI wines association”, said Bernardo Guicciardini Calamai, president of the Consorzio di Tutela of Morellino di Scansano. “Now all the wine producers who wish to can utilize the great strength of the “Toscana” brand, which is very well known and esteemed on International markets. This is a great opportunity to further develop Morellino di Scansano, especially on foreign markets. We are sure that the producers of our denomination will be able to make the most of this opportunity”, concluded the president of the Consortium. “We, as a Region, have accepted from the very beginning the proposed modification to the production specifications of Morellino di Scansano DOCG, which has now finally been defined”, said Stefania Saccardi, Vice President of the Tuscany Region and Councilor for Agro-food. “It is another piece that will contribute to composing that articulated mosaic that represents the future of one of the most important regional supply chains, which will have to deal with the new challenges of environmental sustainability and resilience to climate change. Similarly, the Tuscany brand will be a formidable driver for promoting the extraordinary richness and agro diversity of our wines on markets around the world, and Morellino di Scansano is one of these gems”. This is yet another example of what we have baptized the “regionalization” of denominations. It is a path that is being taken more and more often, although there have been various nuances, in the many Italian wine territories. Perhaps the most appropriate case is DOC Sicilia, which was created precisely as an umbrella denomination for the wines of a Region whose brand is becoming increasingly stronger in the world, and which has successfully brought the name of the Region to the label alongside that of historical denominations. Another, even earlier example, though very different, is Alto Adige, a large (almost) regional denomination, under which there are the varietals and sub-areas (such as Terlano or Santa Maddalena, for instance). Something similar also happened with the Friuli Venezia Giulia DOC, and the Piedmont DOC. In Tuscany, as already mentioned, after Nobile di Montepulciano it is now the turn of Morellino di Scansano, in Umbria, Montefalco has recently reported that the wine producers will have the possibility to insert “Umbria” on their own labels for Montefalco DOC and Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG wines.