You may never have had a Morellino di Scansano (maw-reh-LEE-noh dee skahn-SAH-noh), but if you're a fan of Chianti, this is a wine you should try. Morellino is a grape that is technically a strain of Sangiovese (call it a "kissing cousin"), which is the main grape in Chianti. Chianti is a wine area inside the Italian region of Tuscany; Scansano is a village situated on a mountain ridge in the heart of Maremma, which is an area in the southernmost part of Tuscany -- way, way south of Chianti, south of Montalcino, and about 20 miles east of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its hot weather, valley views, and proximity to the coast and beaches make it more famous to tourists as a vacation spot than wine country. However, those same factors make it an ideal place for vineyards, and there's no doubt that serious wines are coming out of this popular summer getaway.

Interesting wines begin with grapes. Long, hot growing seasons (such as those that occur in Scansano) allow grapes to fully ripen with high sugar levels and in turn produce wines rich in fruit and solid in structure. In other words: the hotter, the better. When you consider that very good wines come from Chianti in the north of Tuscany, and deeper, richer wines come from the more southern town of Montalcino, you can begin to understand the potential of vines grown in Scansano -- the deep, deep south. And the potential is already beginning to be realized, as some of the top Chianti and "Super Tuscan" producers are buying into the area with plans to bottle the next great cult wines.

You may never have had a Morellino di Scansano (maw-reh-LEE-noh dee skahn-SAH-noh), but if you're a fan of Chianti, this is a wine you should try. Morellino is a grape that is technically a strain of Sangiovese (call it a "kissing cousin"), which is the main grape in Chianti. Chianti is a wine area inside the Italian region of Tuscany; Scansano is a village situated on a mountain ridge in the heart of Maremma, which is an area in the southernmost part of Tuscany -- way, way south of Chianti, south of Montalcino, and about 20 miles east of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its hot weather, valley views, and proximity to the coast and beaches make it more famous to tourists as a vacation spot than wine country. However, those same factors make it an ideal place for vineyards, and there's no doubt that serious wines are coming out of this popular summer getaway.

Interesting wines begin with grapes. Long, hot growing seasons (such as those that occur in Scansano) allow grapes to fully ripen with high sugar levels and in turn produce wines rich in fruit and solid in structure. In other words: the hotter, the better. When you consider that very good wines come from Chianti in the north of Tuscany, and deeper, richer wines come from the more southern town of Montalcino, you can begin to understand the potential of vines grown in Scansano -- the deep, deep south. And the potential is already beginning to be realized, as some of the top Chianti and "Super Tuscan" producers are buying into the area with plans to bottle the next great cult wines.

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