Black Friday: Save 20% on Annual memberships for a limited time! Join now

What should Italian Sauvignon Blanc taste like?

Sauvignons at the Round Table discussion

Italy has more than 4,000 ha (nearly 10,000 acres) of Sauvignon Blanc but is still in doubt about what its style should be.

Last year I was sent a sample of Sauvignon Blanc from Montauto, a Maremma estate on the Tuscan coast. I can't say I was much intrigued and I wondered why anyone in their right mind would plant it in this hot climate and expect to make anything interesting out of it.

I couldn't have been more wrong. My negative mindset proved no obstacle for this wine, which comes from a 40-year-old vineyard. And although it didn't resemble...