• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jaime Says

wine.quiet travel.lifestyle.

  • About
  • What is Quiet Travel?
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Amsterdam
      • France
      • Portugal
        • The Azores
      • Spain
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • Canada
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
        • Chicago
        • DuPage County
      • Indiana
      • Michigan
      • Mexico
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Orleans
      • Wisconsin
    • Quiet Travel
  • Life and Links
  • Wine
  • Work With Me
    • Previous Brand Partnerships
Maremma Toscana Tasting

Europe, Wine

3 June 2021

6 Things I Learned at the 2021 Maremma Toscana Wines of Tuscany Tasting

Last Updated on June 16, 2021 by JaimeSays

After over a year without an in person wine tasting, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Maremma Toscana tasting by the incredible professionals of IEEM. You’ll remember that they also hosted the Simply Italian Great Wines event in 2019. I’ll be honest: it had been about three months since I had even participated in a virtual tasting and I was worried about how rusty I’d be. Luckily for me, under the direction of Regine Rousseau of Shall We Wine as moderator and seated with my dear friend Cindy Rynning from Grape Experiences, I was right at home.

Gibson’s Italia via @GibsonsItalia

1. Gibson’s Italia is a Beautiful Space for Private Events

I know this is not particular to the wines tasted, but I have to make note of how professional and beautifully ran the entire day was by the staff of Gibson’s Italia. I had never been to this space before, and it is truly a stunner. With sights right on the river and a comfortable dining room, it was a great way to be welcomed back to indoor dining in Chicago.

2. Maremma Toscana is the 3rd Largest Wine Consortium in Tuscany by Area

Tuscany is a land well known for its culture, food, and of course, wine! Maremma Toscana is one of many wine consortiums in Tuscany, such as DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Bolgheri, or Chianti! Maremma Toscana receives honors as the third largest wine consortium in Tuscany by land area. The 2020 harvest was made using 2,290 hectares of vineyard. Of the yield, 64% of the wines produced were red wines, 33% white wines, and 3% rosé.

Wine.com

3. The Majority of Members of the Maremma Toscana Consortium are Vertical Wineries

Living in the Midwest, it is easy to grasp my head around wineries that don’t grow their own grapes. It gets too dang cold around here for local wineries to grow many varieties of grapes. That’s why local wineries, like Lynfred, offer a mix of wines with grapes grown locally and those purchased from other growers in more hospitable states. In the Maremma Toscana Consortium, the majority of members are vertical growers.  What does that mean? Well, it means that the producers grow the grapes, harvest them, make the wine, bottle it, and send it out to sell.  Thus, the members of Maremma Toscana have their hands in every aspect of the wine making process.

4.  You Can Find Maremma Toscana on the Southeast Edge of Tuscany

Maremma Toscana is an area on the Southeast edge of Tuscany.  It’s a tourist destination for Italians with beautifully crystal clear water and beaches that are less crowded than more internationally known locales. It’s blocked from the cold northerly winds by Monte Amiata on its eastern border. It is characterized by low humidity, very low precipitation that mostly occurs in the autumn, and long hours of sunlight.

Map of Maremma Toscana
Map of Maremma Toscana within Italy via inmaremmatoscana.com

 

5. Maremma Toscana is Known for More than Just Wine

Maremma is well known for many things outside of the wine industry.  Firstly, the Maremma breed of dog! I personally love this breed; they are so big and fluffy, and are sheepherding dogs so they love to work.

Maremma Dog
Photo of a Maremma Sheepdog c/o www.pets4homes.co.uk.

The Italian batteri are famous mounted sheepherders that are also characteristic of the region.  Tourism is popular for native Italians as the coastline is particularly beautiful. 

6. Native and International Grapes Alike Characterize Wine in Maremma Toscana

The 2020 Harvest saw the breakdown of grapes harvested split three ways: 64% dark grapes for red wine, 33% green grapes for white wine, and 3% red wines for rosé.  Of the grapes harvested, there are two dominant varietals.  A quarter of the grapes harvested for white was Vermentino, and a quarter of the red harvested was Sangiovese. Some of the native grapes in the region include Alicante, Cilieglio, and Trebbiano Toscano.  International grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Syrah were introduced in the region toward the end of the 20th century, and have also done well.

Attendees like myself had the pleasure of a guided tasting of 10 red wines from the region.  All had complexities that punched above their price points, but two stood out to me:

Terra di Casteani, Maremma Toscana DOC Rosso 2014 from Tenuta CasteaniSelvoso Maremma Toscana DOC Rosso 2018 from Poggio Cagnano
70% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, Made in Stainless Steel Tanks, Aged in French Barriques for 18-24 Months60% Cilieglio, 40% Merlot, Made and Aged in Concrete for 1 Year
Medium garnet in color, scents of red cherry, balsamic vinegar, tomato, with flavors of sour cherry jam, herbaciousness, and medium tanninsMedium ruby in color, fruit forward on the nose with lots of cranberry, tasted of strawberry with bright acidity, low alcohol, restraint and elegance

It was a great return to in person wine tastings thanks to IEEM and the selected wineries of Maremma Toscana!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
JaimeSays
WSET Level 2 Certified Wine Lover, DuPage County Brand Ambassador. DME + Orthotics By Day, Adoring Home Life and Travel by Night.
Latest posts by JaimeSays (see all)
  • I Hired an Interior Designer and Was Disappointed - November 10, 2021
  • Why I Didn’t Share My Pregnancy - September 18, 2021
  • Awesome Planters for Your Home - July 9, 2021
  • 9 Must See Things to do in Columbus, Indiana - July 3, 2021
  • Garden Advice for the Newly Suburban Beginning Gardener - June 20, 2021
  • 6 Things I Learnedat the 2021 Maremma Toscana Wines of Tuscany Tasting - June 3, 2021
  • Cocktails and Mocktails I’ve been Making at Home - April 6, 2021
  • Birdwatching: One of the Best Attractions in Southwest Florida - January 13, 2021
  • My Endometriosis Story - December 8, 2020

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Posts

  • Trying German Wines for Sale at Binny's

    This post is sponsored by Wine of Germany. If you don't have much experience with…

  • An Introduction to Rogue Valley Wines with Awen Winecraft

    When I was invited to participate in an informational Zoom with Travel Medford and Ashland,…

  • 5 Ways to Enjoy German Riesling Wines This Holiday Season

    'Tis the season for holiday celebrations, be it via zoom or in person. As with…

Newer Posts
Older Posts

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Popular posts:

  • Whitefish Montana Restaurants: Where to Eat in…Whitefish Montana Restaurants: Where to Eat in Whitefish Montana
  • Are the Azores Safe to Visit? 9 Reasons Why You…Are the Azores Safe to Visit? 9 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Azores
  • 10 Things to do in Petoskey This Summer10 Things to do in Petoskey This Summer
  • 8 Things to do in Ludington MI8 Things to do in Ludington MI
  • 16 Things to do in Sandpoint Idaho this Summer16 Things to do in Sandpoint Idaho this Summer

Tags

Amsterdam anxiety management Architecture Bordeaux Canada Champagne Charlevoix Chicago Chicago Tours CityPass date night DuPage DuPage County Europe Family France Gadgets home Honeymoon Hotel Review Idaho Indianapolis Life and Links Marathon Weekend Michigan Michigan's Upper Peninsula Midwest Money Saver Money Saving Tips Northern Michigan Petoskey Petoskey Area Portugal Practical Tips quiet travel Québec South Loop style The Azores U.S. Travel Where to Eat Wine Wine Tours Winter Wisconsin

@instagram

  • What is Quiet Travel?
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Case Studies
  • Policies

Copyright © 2022 · Jaime Says · Designed by Small Shop & Developed by Bella Creative Studio

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT