Monteregio di Massa Marittima

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The area is characterised by low- to high-hill relief on predominantly clayey formations to the north and east of Massa Marittima, and marly, marly-pelitic, and pelitic formations to the west and south.
• In the territory south of the Via Aurelia, in the area of Gavorrano, the low-hill relief rests on predominantly calcareous, arenaceous-marly formations and alluvial deposits.
• Flooding from the Pecora river, whose entire catchment lies within the area, and the Bruna river, with its tributaries the Carsia and the Sovata, has deposited varying quantities of sand and silt.
• Mean elevation ranges from 128 to 343 metres above sea level, with slopes of between 8 and 12% and a mean south-easterly aspect.
• Three climatic conditions can be distinguished: Follonica, with a mean temperature above 16°C and rainfall below 700 mm/year; Massa Marittima, with 13.5°C and 900 mm/year; and Montieri, with a mean temperature below 12°C and rainfall of around 1,100 mm/year.
• The Huglin Index ranges between 2,100 and 2,500 units depending on the area, with a mean annual temperature of 14–14.5°C and mean annual rainfall of around 850–900 mm.

• Etruscan evidence of viticulture, such as the pithoi found in the necropolises of Vetulonia and near the Lago dell'Accesa, attests to an ancient bond between the territory and the vine.
• The medieval statutes of Massa Marittima, Montieri, and Monterotondo Marittimo, and the statutory laws drawn up between the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, established rules for wine production and for preventing the dissipation of food resources.
• Dr Alfonso Ademollo, in a report submitted to the Jacini parliamentary inquiry of 1884, identified Massa Marittima and Roccastrada among the communes with the highest wine production and good cellars for storage.
• The controlled designation of origin for the white and red wines of Monteregio di Massa Marittima was recognised by ministerial decree on 3 October 1994.
• The production regulations were amended by ministerial decree on 18 October 2011 to reduce the proportion of Sangiovese in the base wine type and to introduce the varietal wine types Syrah, Sangiovese, and Viognier.
• Wines produced from dried grapes using the traditional vinsanto technique are made principally from Trebbiano toscano and Vermentino, or from Sangiovese for the Occhio di Pernice version, with appassimento and ageing in small casks (caratelli).

• The red wines display a ruby-red colour of good intensity with violet hues in young wines, shading to garnet in more mature examples.
• In the Riserva wine types, the colour tends toward an intense ruby-red with more or less frequent violet hues, which evolves to garnet with ageing, while aromatic complexity increases with notes of small fruits and spice.
• The still white wines display a pale straw-yellow colour, a generally fruity and delicate nose, sometimes with floral notes, while on the palate they are dry, fresh, and of medium body.
• The Vin Santo wine type presents a colour ranging from straw-yellow through golden to deep amber, with a rich and complex nose and notes of ripe fruit, raisins, and candied fruit.
• The Vin Santo occhio di pernice is characterised by a colour ranging from deep rose to pale rose, with intense aromas of ripe fruit and notes evoking chocolate and liquorice, while on the palate it is soft, velvety, warm, and sweet.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1435
• Official trade body site — Consorzio del Monteregio di Massa Marittima