Montescudaio Doc

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The production of the controlled denomination of origin Montescudaio wines is in some municipalities in the province of Pisa. In this area too it was the Etruscans who started the practise of cultivating vines, that was greatly developed in the following centuries to the point of becoming an important resource of the territory. To be remembered amongst the monarchs that contributed to this development in particular was Count Gherardo di Gherardesca who gave a large land heritage mostly composed of pieces of land cultivated with vines and olive trees to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria in Montescudaio. Towards the middle of the 1800s the Montescudaio wine began to grow well-known mostly thanks to the entrepreneurial activities of a trader of the area, Niccolò Taddei, but the first real recognition arrived in 1887 at the national eonological competition of Rome where it was awarded with the silver medal. This controlled denomination of origin is today present in the White, Red, Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Vermentino and Vin santo types.

How it is consumed

White Montescudaio goes with fish-based dishes, in particular molluscs and shellfish, and with simple dishes such as marzolino, rice soup, acquacotta. Its recommended serving is in flared wineglasses at 8-10°C. The Red type instead goes with fresh transformed meat dishes and typical cheeses such as mature Tuscan Pecorino. It should be served in balloon wineglasses at 16-18°C. The Vin santo type is ideal as a desert wine with the traditional Tuscan deserts and dry pastries. It should be served in small wineglasses at 10-12°C.

How it is conserved

To conserve these wines correctly, they should be stored horizontally on wooden shelves and in the dark at a constant temperature of 10-15°C. It is also important that humidity be around 70-75%, to prevent the corks from drying.

How it is produced

In the processes of producing the red wines of this controlled denomination of origin fermentation of the must be with the marc, that during this phase releases part of the substances contained in it, such as anthocyan and tannin. The process of fermentation lasts for more than 15 days. The phases that follow are the drawing from the vats, which allows the separation of the marc from the must-wine, decanting, refinement and ageing. At the end of this period the wine is bottled. In the production of the white wines the juice is immediately extracted from the fruit, so that fermentation only involves the liquid part and not the peel. To achieve this end pressing is not always carried out to avoid further deterioration in the prime material and is frequently of the whole grape that serves, in substance, to separate the must from the peel and the other solid parts, reducing laceration of the peel to a minimum. After pressing the must is filtered, the particles in suspension removed, sulphur dioxide added and the must is fermented at no more than 20°C. Finally the wine is drawn from the vats and decanted to clear it. After decanting the product is ready for bottling. In the production of the Vin santo type naturally dried grapes are used. The rest of the process is similar to that of other passito wines: the dry stalks are removed, as they would otherwise absorb considerable quantities of alcohol and leave a bad taste behind. The next process is that of soft pressing. Fermentation follows the production of the must and stops naturally upon reaching a high alcoholic content. The wine so obtained is then stabilised, refined and bottled.

Product report