We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
So frustrated were they by the legislation originally drawn up in the sixties, and inadequate from the start, that they chose to waive their right to what they saw as the straightjacket of DOC status. They broke the rules, being relegated to IGT or lowly Vino da Tavola standing, but many achieved excellence in the process and the name of 'Super Tuscans' soon followed.
Their principal crime was the adoption of foreign grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to complement the local hero Sangiovese. When the dust settled, and the results were undeniably excellent, the DOC laws were relaxed to include these once-reviled invaders. Through sheer bloody-mindedness, or a desire to hold onto their marketable 'Super Tuscan' status, many producers who now qualify for DOC status continue to shun it. There is no inclusive style as such, but Bordeaux is a major influence and prices are usually high (and justifiably so).