The fifth edition of the Vermentino Grand Prix was held Monday April 8th at Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto). Promoted by the Consorzio Tutela Vini della Maremma Toscana to celebrate the Vermentino variety, the event is an opportunity to showcase the bold personality of the appellation, thanks to the technical jury that identified the ten best wines of this edition.
“We know that more than 30% of the DOC Maremma Toscana wines are from the Vermentino variety, most of them single-varietals, which makes the Maremma the leading enclave in the region for the production of white wine,” according to Francesco Mazzei at the head of the Consorzio for nearly six years and steadfast in his conviction that this variety is one of the most significant markers of the appellation. “Vermentino is a coastal grape variety that has found its natural habitat in the Maremma, with different expressive personalities, depending on the terrain, altitude and distance from the coast. I wholeheartedly believe that it can aspire to comparison with the great whites and reds of the world thanks to its complex personality.”
As at the previous editions, the wines – all Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino – contained a minimum of 85% of the variety. For the most part, they were single-varietals and, in only a few cases, with the addition of other varieties, like Viognier, Sauvignon or Trebbiano.
The “Top 10” 2024 Vermentini Maremma Toscana DOC comprises, in alphabetical order by vintner: CASTELPRILE, PRELIUS 2023 – COLLEMASSARI, MELACCE 2023 – GUIDO F.FENDI, CHICCA 2022 – PODERE CIRENE, CIRENE 2023 – PODERE POGGIO BESTIALE, LÉPIDO 2023 – POGGIO LEVANTE, UNNÉ 2020 – ROCCA DELLE MACIE, CAMPO MACCIONE 2023 – TENUTE BRUNI, UPUPA 2022 – TERRE DELL’ETRURIA, MARMATO 2023 – VAL DELLE ROSE, COBALTO 2021 VERMENTINO SUPERIORE.
“Vermentino certainly upholds its reputation as a variety with great character and continues to thrive in our territory, so much so that 50% of the hectares under cultivation in Tuscany with this variety are in Maremma. Of the more than 970 hectares in our territory, nearly 60% are less than 13 years old and more than 40% are less than eight, so these are relatively young-growth vineyards,” emphasizes Luca Pollini, director of the Consorzio.
“A fascinating variety, not only in its young, fresh version but also in its more complex evolution, where it has revealed excellent structure and longevity. It is always exciting to put it to the test, thanks to the Vermentino Grand Prix,” he concluded.
The jury, presided over by Luciano Ferraro – Editor-in-Chief of the Corriere della Sera – was composed of representatives of star-rated restaurants in the Maremma, owners of wine shops, delegates of associations and wine industry technicians, including Mario Bonamici, who organizes the international competition and the domestic Vermentino competition in Cagliari.
There were 73 wines in the Gran Prix, an increase over the 2023 edition when there were 60 and, of these, more than half were from the most recent vintage – 2023. Approximately 35% were from the 2022 vintage and 10% were wines from less recent vintages, like 2019, 2020 and 2021. Also being judged were some very unique types, like those fermented in egg-shaped barrels, in concrete, amphora, earthenware or – although to a lesser extent – in wood, and wines from the new “Superiore” label wording. The Top Ten 2024 mirrored the distribution of the samples tasted, with six out of ten Vermentinos from the most recent vintage and the other four from the 2022, 2021 and 2020 vintages, and one of these labeled Superiore.