Sassicaia, Solaia, Tignanello

Sassicaia, together with a couple of other special wines, Solaia and Tignanello, come from precisely the same area, Tenuta S. Cristina in Val di Pesa in Tuscany. They are the result of the most modern wine-making technologies introduced into Italy a couple of decades ago. By taking Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc grapes, changing the proportion of the grapes in each wine, using the best care of the vine and the best method of vinification and ageing in barriques (wooden barrels) as they do in France, they have achieved three of the top Italian wines. They don’t even participate to the usual DOC classification system. They are, in fact, called Tuscan Table Wines but still command the highest respect and price. With high alcohol contents (from 12.8 to 13%), these are wonderful smooth wines, ideal for red meat and game dishes.