Cantina Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano

||| — I vigneti situati a Scansano|La vallata in cui è situata la Cooperativa Vinicols||

A wine cooperative that has distinguished itself for its collaborative spirit and for the quality of the wine produced, especially the red wine made from Sangiovese. Reputable offers are the Morellino Roggiano Riserva and the Morellino Sicomo Riserva.

In Tuscany it has rarely happened that wine cooperatives have been part of the framework of wine production. The region has always been dominated by the great estates of the nobility and the rich bourgeoisie who invested in the countryside. There were, needless to say, small owners, but the famous individualistic and often controversial nature of the Tuscan population made cooperation activities difficult to sustain in the long run.

A notable exception to this rule, however, is the Morellino di Scansano Wine Cooperative , in the coastal province of Grosseto . Founded 45 years ago in 1972, it has always enjoyed excellent leadership, capable of instilling a cooperative spirit in the over 160 producers who contribute their own grapes, forming a substantial base on which to work, for a total of over 580 hectares. They can also count on objective advantages. Most of the Maremma was infested with malaria, until the first years after the Second World War, when the coastal areas were reclaimed; a good part of these areas were, in fact, uninhabited and uninhabitable. But Scansanoit is located over 450 meters high, and the winter climate is cold enough to avoid a conspicuous presence of mosquitoes, so viticulture has always been practiced in this area. Already in some documents of the 19th century the wines of the current denomination, based on Sangiovese , were praised another advantage. Indeed, the markets have grown tired of the monotonous Bordeaux wines that dominate the new lower areas.

Under the direction of Benedetto Grechi , who has followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, the range has been intelligently divided into a series of lines of increasing quality. The top selections, rightly so, are now present in many of the best restaurants in Tuscany and are also exported to foreign markets. And these are often produced in impressive numbers: Morellino di Scansano Roggiano regularly reaches 200 thousand bottles. Other reputable offers are Vin del Fattore , Vigna Benefizio , produced from a single vineyard, and the two Riserve Morellino , Roggiano and Sicomoro. And Sangiovese continues to reign, an indication that the links with tradition are still felt strongly in this part of the Maremma.