2005 Castello Di Fonterutoli Siepi

2005 Castello Di Fonterutoli Siepi

2005 Castello Di Fonterutoli Siepi

Toscana IGT is the most popular and famous of Italy‘s Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) titles. It encapsulates the entire region, with the Toscana IGT label permitted on wine produced in any of Tuscany’s ten provinces.

Free from the stylistic constraints imposed on DOCG and DOC wines, Toscana IGT wines can be made in almost every form imaginable, from bone-dry sparklings to sweet reds and sparkling roses. Given Tuscany’s longstanding success with dry red wine, this style is by far the most common style with a majority produced from the Sangiovese grape variety. Other popular varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

When the Italian DOC system was introduced in the 1960s, it was not well-received. Many Italian wine producers found the new rules too restrictive and openly criticized the system. A number of these, most notably in Tuscany, chose to continue focusing on quality and individuality rather than conforming to their local DOC laws. The price of this freedom was having to label their wines as Vino da Tavola, the lowest tier in Italy’s wine classification system.

During the late 1960s, a number of these rebel producers began making modern-styled wines of very high quality which later became known as the ‘Super Tuscans’. These were recieved with international and recognition and praise. But this also meant that some of Italy’s most respected wines were being labeled and sold as Vino di Tavola. In 1984, one of the most famous Super Tuscans Sassicaia was granted its very own DOC title, DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia. Further measures were required to address the other wines.

To bring a degree of balance to the situation, the Italian government introduced a new category of Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT). This successfully introduced a mid-ground between the highly regulated DOCG and DOC classifications and the lowly, unregulated Vino di Tavola. IGT wines are created with the bare minimum of restrictions required to ensure quality wine production. They bear a vintage statement, producer name and a region of origin on the label. They must be made from at least 85 percent of the stated grape variety.

The range and diversity of IGT wines continue to expand and evolve in the early 21st Century. The category has freed Italian wine producers from the constraints of tradition, allowing them to produce wines for the modern palate and arguably more important for global export markets.